I was born in the Bronx to Irish immigrant parents. I graduated from a private school called Manhattan College. These were years of self-discovery. I majored in Business, got a job but hated it, and left for Ireland to do some soul searching. I came back with a resolve to become a Social Studies teacher. I went to Hunter College for an M.A. in British History and began teaching in a New York City public school, thinking it was only temporary. Ten years later I am still teaching Social Studies and loving it. I have no plans to leave for the suburbs. I love to travel and hope to visit many parts of the world. I have visited South Korea twice before and look forward to going back. My hobbies are reading (I am a serious reader of non-fiction) and watching movies. I play a little guitar. I used to play in bands, but now I only play for my daughter who was born in February 2002.

Lecia J. Brooks is a nationally respected teacher, trainer, facilitator, and consultant, with over 20 years of experience in the areas of education, youth development, human relations, and culturally equitable program development. She is currently the director of special projects at the National Conference for Community and Justice in Los Angeles, and the principal consultant of Diversity Matters, a nationally recognized human relations consulting group. Lecia's work has been featured on World News Tonight with Peter Jennings and The McNeil Leher Report. She has also appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and in The Los Angeles Times to discuss her work in diversity education, human relations, youth development and hate crime prevention. Lecia holds a bachelors degree in Political Science and History from Loyola Marymount University.

Amy Tien has been a volunteer for the National Conference for Community and Justice for ten years now. A human relations organization, the National Conference, Los Angeles Region, runs summer camps and trainings dedicated to creating social awareness and leadership training through their Youth & Education programs. She works in the community as a program developer, facilitator and service provider for local non-profits. Amy has a bachelor's degree in Asian American Studies from California State University, Northridge. She is currently working on a master's degree in Acupuncture and Herbology.