I grew up, live in, and work in the Ohlone Community College District.  I attended public schools in Fremont (Maloney Elementary, Centerville Junior High, and Washington High – graduating class of 1981), and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biological Sciences, with a minor in Mathematics from Humboldt State University (Arcata, California) in 1986.  After one additional year earning a California Professional Clear Teaching Credential, and an additional year of graduate work in Biology at Humboldt State University, I applied and was hired to teach 7^th grade Science at Centerville Junior High in the fall of 1988.

I transferred to Hopkins Junior High in the spring of 1989.  I have been teaching 7^th and 8^th grade Science along with an occasional 7^th grade Math class at Hopkins Junior High for 27 years before being elected to the Board of Directors of the California Teachers Association (CTA).

As a teacher at Hopkins Junior High, I have earned additional certifications (GATE, CLAD, GLAD), and have been awarded as a Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, and am nationally certified by the National Science Teachers Association.  

I have worked for or on behalf of Democrats since the Presidential campaign of 1972.  This work has been in terms of walking precincts, making phone calls, and telling voters about Democratic candidates.  It also means that I have worked in collaboration with elected Democratic Party officeholders to help move legislation that is helpful for educators at the local, state, and national levels.

The major concern for a Trustee is to make sure you can do everything possible to offer a high-quality learning experience to students.  The challenge is doing this in light of a limited revenues from the state. Now, with the pandemic, it even makes this challenge even more difficult.  On top of that, the Student Success Funding Formula looms in the near future, which will have the net effect of reducing revenues by about 10 million per year.  This, when the District is ranked #2 in the State for all public community colleges. Tackling these issues is through careful planning and advocacy from the Board.

While a political philosophy is important to use as the basis for formulating and advocating positions on the Board of Trustees, a Trustee must keep in mind that the position is non-partisan.  This means that openness to all points-of-view is a necessary prerequisite for making sound decisions.

I have been Fremont resident for over 30 years. For past 15 years, I have been actively supporting Ohlone College. Presently, I am Chair of the Ohlone College Foundation and Chair of the Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee (Measure G, $349 Million). I founded Indo-Americans for Better Community; a Fremont based 501(c3) tax-exempt organization that has raised over $750,000 for local organizations including Ohlone College Foundation and Ohlone Promise Scholarship endowment. I have been Planning Commissioner for City of Fremont, President of Niles Rotary; Board Member, Life ElderCare, Salvation Army and Indo-American Chamber of Commerce; and Trustee, American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin. I am a product of public education. My education includes Pre-Med, B.Sc., M.Sc., M.Phil. and Ph.D. in Clinical Biochemistry. I worked at Stanford University as Cancer Researcher for 18 years. I retired as a Professor and Department Chair of Biochemistry from Saba University School of Medicine in Caribbean. I have worked in academic environment all my professional life. I am passionate about education, helping students to succeed and create a better community. I understand primary responsibilities of the Ohlone College Board. As an Ohlone College Board Trustee, my role would include policymaking, fiscal oversight and making sure District’s education missions are implemented. Furthermore, Trustee must not interfere with the implementation of these policies at the district level. Superintendent/President of the college implements all non-policy oversight issues and policy implementations at the district level. 

Ohlone Community College Board of Trustees needs to continue to have community advocates lookout for the best interest of our student’s. As a second-generation immigrant and a lifelong Fremont resident, I feel I bring a generational diversity to our current board towards the three seats this election cycle.

I have grown up through Fremont’s education system from Warwick Elementary to American High School. Between a high quality FUSD education and Saturday classes at Ohlone Community College (Ohlone), I was able to graduate from UC Davis in three years and then returned home.

Upon coming back home, though I found Fremont as one of the greatest cities to live in, I recognized that the equitability of all of Fremont’s diverse residents could still use improvement.  That is why I involved myself into our community by taking a job with Spectrum Community Services, a nonprofit focused on assisting the low-income communities of Alameda County.  I also have the honor of serving as a Fremont Human Relations Commissioner for six years as the now sole LGBTQ member on that commission.  Since 2012, I have also been involved in Fremont elections helping elect community advocates best represent us.

I want to make sure to advocate for the educational opportunities for our current Fremont, Newark, and Union City students by utilizing Ohlone’s robust programs.  I want to promote Ohlone’s trade school programs for non-traditional students as well as Ohlone’s partnership programs with local high schools to challenge our student’s through college level curriculum.  I want to advocate for change in the state funding formula so Ohlone can provide more mental health services.

I want to continue my service for our community, ensuring that Ohlone Community College continues its legacy of fostering future students into the leaders of tomorrow.  So, if you live in Fremont, please join labor (AFL-CIO), the Democratic Party; Assemblymember Bill Quirk; State Senator Bob Wieckowski; Councilmembers Teresa Keng, Vinnie Bacon, and Mike Bucci; School Board Trustees Dianne Jones and Ann Crosbie; and Ohlone Board Trustee Vivien Larsen and vote Lance Kwan for Ohlone Community College Board of Trustees, Area 2.

I want to see a community college where we continue to provide the promise of an affordable high quality higher education. This means having an equitable education for all who come out to Ohlone Community College.  Three of my platforms are to actually provide access to more trade school training, provide more access for high school students to challenge themselves to college level course expectations, and provide more mental health services to our students especially during the isolated times during this pandemic.  This election has put more emphasis on distance learning and how to deal with a pandemic. 

Whether it be a volunteer manager, a board member for the South Alameda County Young Democrats, or the new incoming Assembly District 20 Alameda County Democratic Central Committee Member, I have always stood on the side of progressive Democratic candidates that make up our local elected officials. As the current President of the South Alameda County Young Democrats, I think we need representation from the best young people possible to encourage more young people to get involved. By being actively involved in politics, I am hoping that I am an example of leading that charge where young  people are taking charge of how we shape our community.  We have untapped potential in our communities hidden among the many young adults here, and I feel that part of my mission is to be the catalyst to get young adults involved in the local policy decisions that impact their daily lives.

As a sitting Fremont Human Relations Commissioner, I have sat at the seat to make recommendations to elected officials.  So though I have recommended funding to nonprofits for CDBG grants, edited Fremont’s Sanctuary City Policy, and even advocated for more in complex low income housing, I have never made the implementation decision. Things like the Fremont’s Tobacco Retail License, where the Human Relations Commission had recommended to Fremont's City Council, took a whole year and half before it was implemented. In order to make more substantial change, we need advocates to take seat in elected office to fight for the ideals of our community and advoate for them on state and federal levels.