¡HOLA! (No. 13)

Hi! My name is Emily Grijalva and I use she/her/ella pronouns. This is my first Global Glimpse trip AND my first time traveling to Ecuador so I am very excited!

I am the youngest daughter of Central American immigrants and I grew up in Guatemala. I graduated from UCLA- both for undergrad and grad school. I was an English teacher for 12 years, and now I am Mendez High School’s Community School Coordinator. I also sponsor our Gender & Sexuality Alliance (GSA), and volunteer at Las Fotos Project. I love photography- I plan to take many pictures during our trip! A few years back, I was able to take HS students to my hometown Quetzaltenango (Xela), Guatemala and that was amazing. I think traveling with students and getting to explore and learn from new communities is so important. It opens our minds and hearts. <3

I have two sons- Diego and Eli – and THREE cats – Mei, Tofu, and Freckles. I will miss both my human and fur babies while traveling as this is the longest I’ve been away from them. I also love soccer and found out there’s a soccer field by where we are staying. I root for Los Angeles Football Club and Angel City Football Club. I am also a serious coffee drinker, so I’m excited to try Ecuadorian coffee.

That’s me in a nutshell! I look forward to meeting all of you and experiencing this awesome opportunity together!

-Emily, Global Glimpse Leader (GGL)