Introduction

Each part of my name has significance.  My mom is Greek, and loves the story of Cassandra, a prophet that was correct but disbelieved.  My middle name, Maria, comes from my Yiayia (grandmother in Greek).  My last name, Duprey, comes from my father.  His family immigrated from Ireland in the 1820s.  He grew up in orphanages in Michigan and never knew his family, but he has spent the past decades researching his background.  Because he had to create his family, I feel pride in sharing a last name with him and I feel like I come from such a strong immediate family and extended family on my mom's side.  When I got married, I didn't change my name.  It means too much to me to be a "Duprey."

My endorsement area is math.  As technology will create many future jobs, and math is the basis of computer science, I see math as a gateway to jobs of the future.  Students that have access to excellent math educations will be able to participate in these future industries.  I see math education as a civil rights issue because many at-risk students don't have access to excellent math educations and are limited in their future prospects as a result.  Robert Moses, a civil rights organizer from the Freedom Summers in Mississippi in the 1960s, now runs The Algebra Project, which works to every child has a right to a quality education to succeed in this technology-based society and to exercise full citizenship. They achieve this by using best educational research and practices, and building coalitions to create systemic changes.  Math education is the civil rights issue of our generation.

I love chickens!!  Backyard chickens, specifically, make me excited.  They're so useful!  As I learn more about polluted and industrialized food sources, food self-sufficiency has become important to me.  Backyard chickens are an essential component of a well-functioning micro-farm.  Eggs supply valuable and economical protein, dung is an excellent fertilizer for crops, egg shells enrich compost, and chickens manage pests by eating them.  Chickens have vast biodiversity and have evolved to survive in a wide range of climates.