I’m Desiree and I will be one of your GG leaders during our trip to Ecuador. This is my first year working with Global Glimpse and I’m just as excited as you are for our upcoming adventure!

I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and love everything about Cali. I am a proud Latina; my mom is from Mexico and my dad is from El Salvador. I went to college at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) and wouldn’t change anything about my choice. I got a great education and got to live two blocks from the beach and 15 minutes from some great hiking trails. That’s where my love of nature and travel started.

Before my senior year of college I was able to study abroad in Brighton, England (about 1.5 hours from London) and spent my weekends travelling all over Europe. I even got to attend some Olympic games since I was there during the London Olympics!

After graduating from college, I moved to Chicago where I got my teaching degree and started teaching high school math at Noble Street College Prep. I love working with young adults and have so much fun doing my job. Added bonus: I get the summer’s off to travel!

Since I’ve already visited Europe, I’ve been wanting to travel around South and Central America to learn more about Latin cultures and how they differ from the “Americanized” Latin cultures. I’m glad that through Global Glimpse I’ll be able to start learning more about indigenous cultures and about the Ecuadorian people.

Below are some pics of some of my adventures (I love to hike). I can’t wait to meet all of you in person!