Occupation / Current Position
Educator and Animal Care
Education
Masters of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Michigan
Qualifications and Experience
What makes us human makes us leaders--care for our communities, empathy, curiosity and problem solving. Also: high school math teacher, patent examiner, engineering researcher, business owner.
Michigan's current education system is a story in disparity. We have many top schools with well paid teachers and great test scores, as well as schools that are underfunded and under performing. Michigan has dropped towards the bottom in national rankings. In district 37, we have school districts fortunate to have a tax base that provides out of formula funding beyond the per-pupil amount. Many others do not, and are facing crumbling infrastructure and an inability to attract quality teachers to areas with low pay and high cost. We need increased education funding and targeted rural grants, and to continue reforms like science of reading.
I support increased minimum wages and think that companies should have to disclose when they pay below a living wage to workers. I also think that Michigan should have windfall profit sharing provisions for large corporations. We also need to attract industry with well paying jobs and help more residents utilize retraining and placement programs to meet qualifications businesses need. For affordability, I want to see MICare passed to ease healthcare costs, continue to expand housing solutions, push back against utility rate increases, and expand childcare support programs. Also, AI and data center policies are key for jobs and costs.
I want to see more investment in community solar and community energy storage, which can help drive down costs and grid stabilization. We need to invest in infrastructure improvements in our rural communities for reliability and to meet emergencies. I want to see appropriate investment in EGLE and regulation to protect our air, land and water. I support communities that have data center moratoriums and ensuring that new builds do not cause environmental devastation, noise burden on people and wildlife, or increased utility costs. I support a grant team in district 37 helping secure more state and federal funding for our region.
I come from immigrant ancestors that came to Michigan as farmers and builders, and the policies of today are much different than those of the past. I believe we need immigration reform to be welcoming places for hard working people from anywhere, with pathways to become residents. Everyone deserves due process in America regardless of status. I'm a believer in 1st and 4th amendment rights for all Michiganders, including noncitizens. On the state level, we need to make sure that rights are respected and the law is followed.
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