The Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology at UC Santa Barbara will present Pete Flores III, Director of Student Services of Santa Maria Joint Union High School District, giving the talk “Why the Hell Are White People So Mad?” on Friday, April 21 at 12 pm in ED 1217. This event is free and open to the public
Including a focus on the current political and social climate, Flores will draw parallels to years of institutional and systemic barriers that continue to exist for students of color and their families in the P-12 public schools. Throughout this discussion, he will share his personal experiences of dealing with bias, prejudice, and discrimination, while on his cultural proficiency journey to include his present day struggles advocating for much needed social justice change both in the district and community. Flores will introduce the importance of cultural competence for addressing implicit bias, and racial and ethnic disparities that contribute to parents and students becoming disenfranchised with school, which contributes to the school to prison pipeline. This presentation will invite reflection and dialogue from participants.
Pete Flores III previously served in the United States Navy where he attended the Senior Enlisted Leadership Academy and earned the Excellence in Achievement Award. While serving in the Navy, he obtained two warfare specialties, an Associate of Arts in Business Administration from West Hills College and a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts with a focus in Administrative and Management studies from Excelsior College. After honorably serving in the United States Navy for 25 years, he retired in 2004 as a Command Master Chief having earned numerous personal, unit, and campaign awards. He began his second career in education as a high school teacher in 2004.
As a teacher, he was a Naval Science Instructor at Everett Alvarez High School in Salinas, California, and Soledad High School, in Soledad, California. While at Soledad High School, he was recognized as a nominee for the 2007 Ercia Harden Memorial Teaching Excellence Award and was a finalist for the Bay Area Teacher of the Year. While at Soledad, he attended John F. Kennedy University and eventually transitioned into Administration as Dean of Students of Soledad High School. He has also served as Dean of Students at Phillips Freedom Community Day School and Assistant Principal at Flamson Middle School both in Paso Robles, California. In 2010, he reported as Assistant Principal in charge of Student Affairs of Santa Maria High School, during which time he also completed his Master of Arts degree with a specialization in Culturally Responsive Education from Ashford University. In 2015, he was promoted to his current position as Director of Student Services.
Additional significant accomplishments include: presented twice at the International Cultural Proficiency Institute, attended and has been a faculty member of Just Communities for the Institute for Equity in Education, and attended and co-facilitated cultural proficiency training at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles as part of the Tools for Tolerance for Educators program. Most recently, he has helped create and spearhead the One Community Action Coalition in response to the increase in gang violence in the community of Santa Maria.