I am a Filipina-American carpenter and educator who builds homes for public good. I didn’t expect to become a builder; after studying psychology, cognitive science, and neuroscience in college, I became a fulltime researcher studying human cognition and behavior. But I felt my work in the lab was missing a critical interface with the world around me.
In 2021, I left academia to learn how to build houses so that my vocation would be visible, tangible, immediate, and enduring. Facing housing instability throughout my upbringing shaped my understanding of homes not just as structures in the built environment, but as loci of identity, community, and refuge.
Today, I lead the nonprofit Big Skills Program, where I teach high school students and apprentices to build real houses from the ground up. Our homes are placed with Bay Area residents at risk of displacement: preserving communities, creating more affordable housing, and empowering young people with purpose, skills, and pathways to high-demand careers.