Hey There, 

I am a 3rd generation, born and raised San Franciscan, of Filipina, Mexican, Irish, and Cape Verdean ancestry. For 10 years, I served public schools in San Francisco - hiring hundreds of teachers, designing and implementing policies aimed at serving our most in need students, and toward the end of my time there, developing anti-racist processes that look critically at adult practice. In the spring of 2021, I decided it was time to part ways with the school district, after powering through a year and a half of  COVID-19 distance learning, problem solving and ever changing work that was only complicated by the fact that I was also grieving the sudden loss of my mother in March 2020, just a week before we began sheltering in place. This decision allowed me to carve out some space so that I could rest, heal, and dream big about my next season of life. After a little over a year working for myself and shifting gears, including losing my mom's mom in January 2022, I started working again that fall. Since then, my dad, sister , and her partner have been navigating all things grief, late-stage capitalism, and living in San Francisco. 

Though I've generally housed reflections, thoughts, and writing-things I hadn't publicly shared much over my 30's - I've started writing more through work, and now I'm trying to build that in my personal life, both formally and informally now in 2025.
​Thanks for being here. I'll try to be "Magtotally Awesome"  💜 - Nik

Check out the latest here

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​Why Magtotally?

When your people are basically a bunch of comedians, all you do is come up with wild nicknames for each other. Born Nicole, my mother immediately knew I was a Niki. Last name Magtoto - always a great root word for folks to come up with something. But Niki Magtotally... that's the one that just clicked, and stuck - being a child of the 80's and all.

​But it's true - when I am the best version of myself, I really am Magotally Awesome. ​✨✨✨

​​***All images are mine unless otherwise noted. ***