Intellectually Entertaining. Socially Relevant.
Cris was born in McAllen, Texas to a Mexican mother and Salvadoran father. A well-rounded student and basketball player in high school, Cris attended the University of Texas at Austin. As an undergrad, Cris was highly involved with various student organizations in the Latino community, including Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity, Inc. He credits many of the people he met during this time with helping him realize his passion for equality and social justice.
After graduating with a B. A. in Mathematics, Cris was selected as a 2007 Teach for America Corps member in Atlanta, Georgia. He taught high school mathematics for three years in southwest Atlanta. In 2010, he enrolled at the University of Georgia to pursue a Master’s Degree in Educational administration and Policy. Although he has a passion for education, he’s just as passionate about writing, especially when it involves his community. He wishes he could spend less time watching basketball, fútbol, football, boxing and rooting for his beloved Arsenal, but some things can’t be helped.
I can’t tell you the name of the very first book that I loved, but I can tell you that I loved it because the protagonist was my doppelgänger: his name was Christopher. I knew how to “read” that book before I even new how to read; I’d have my parents read it to me Read More
The United States of America is home to great athletic programs (see the London 2012 Olympic medal count), a grand diversity of citizens, and the world’s best public education system. And no, you didn’t read that wrong. Every so often, I come across a report talking about how a Nordic country is kicking our butt Read More
For as long as I can remember being a boxing fan [1], there’s always been a big fight involving a Mexican/Mexican-American boxer on or around September 16 (México’s Día de la Independencia, in case you didn’t know). It’s no secret that Latino fans are the fuel that powers boxing in this country (big-time promoter Bob Read More
“No entendemos inglés. Tienes que hablar español.” This was the first thing my 7th-grade math class made sure I knew as I introduced myself for the very first time. I took over midyear for a teacher who’d just retired. I’d taken the previous 18 months off to go back to school full-time. So not only Read More
You just didn’t come home with anything less than a 90 on your report card: that was the rule at my house, and needless to say, it worked. At some point after middle school, my parents didn’t really need to remind me about the “you-better-get-all-A’s-or-else” rule, because it became mine. I could talk about my Read More
Days 1-4 recap Days 5-9 recap Days 10-12 recap Women’s BMX Cycling: Pajón and her bike bring Colombia’s only gold Some people love medal counts, others don’t really see the point. But there’s almost always more to them than meets the eye. Take Colombia, for example. At first glance, you may look at Colombia with Read More
Days 1-4 recap Days 5-9 recap Men’s Wrestling: Cuba’s López one of the best ever Even though it was only the semifinals, Mijaín López knew he’d win the gold after beating his Turkish rival Riza Kayaalp. Call it overconfidence if you want, but Lòpez had little problem beating Estonian Heiki Nabi for his second-consecutive Read More
Boxing: USA’s ‘Golden Boy’ goes down One of the best stories of Team USA, Jose Ramirez, wasn’t able to be “Golden” in these Olympics. Ramirez started slowly against Uzbekistan’s Fazliddin Gaibnazarov and never really recovered, losing 15-11. Not to worry, however, Ramirez is already worth an estimated $1 million in endorsements, and the soon-to-be 20-year-old Read More
If there were ever a good time to have a two-week staycation, it’s definitely now. School hasn’t started yet, so while everyone else is stealing hours at work trying to keep up with the Summer Olympics, I’m chillin’ on my couch watching the games on my TV and computer (Rubio for the win!)…. The Read More
Women’s boxing will make its debut as an Olympic sport when the quarterfinal rounds begin on August 5. Queen Underwood, Claressa Shields, and Marlen Esparza make up the inaugural U. S. Boxing Team, but it’s the smallest of the three, Esparza, who looks to make the biggest splash in London. Hailing from the southeast corner Read More