MEET JUSTINE
Cycle breaker.
Systemic disruptor.
Fierce advocate.
Public service announcement: Sex education is not intercourse education. It’s about health, agency, identity, and self-worth — fundamental human rights that systems of oppression work tirelessly to deny.
That’s why Justine has spent the last 15+ years empowering communities through comprehensive health education.
In addition to her powerhouse classroom teaching methods, academic expertise, lived experience, and trademark charisma, Justine challenges her audiences to rethink how they understand sexuality, health, social justice, and more.
This is more than education — this is a reclamation of body, identity, and power.
Cycle breaker
•
Systemic disruptor
•
Fierce advocate
•
Cycle breaker • Systemic disruptor • Fierce advocate •
Justine’s philosophy.
This is the foundation of Justine’s work and the future she’s building through comprehensive health education.
Safety
On every level: emotionally, mentally, and physically.
Affirmation
Of identity and who we know ourselves to be.
Joy
In our bodies, our relationships, and the behaviors we engage in.
Adjunct Professor
University of Michigan
Advisory Council
Racial Justice in Sex Education
Advisory Board Member
EducateUS
The Most Frequently Asked Question
What got you into this work?
In 2008, I was standing in front of a classroom full of eighth graders, trying to teach math. Some of my students were pregnant. Some were already parents. One student, Maria, had been absent for weeks. When she returned, she quietly told me she'd been bleeding “down there” every month since sixth grade — and had no idea what was happening to her own body.
She was 15 years old. In eighth grade. And no adult had ever explained periods to her.
That moment shattered something in me. I saw firsthand how disempowering it is when young people are denied the most basic knowledge about their bodies. Maria’s story wasn’t an anomaly — it was a symptom of a broken system. One that fails to equip young people with the tools they need to live healthy, autonomous, and informed lives.
I realized then that teaching math wasn’t going to drive the kind of personal, health, and societal transformation I knew was possible. After state exams were over, I asked my principal if I could teach sex ed for the last week of school. She hesitated — but said yes. That week, I found my why.
Since then, I’ve earned a Master’s in Education from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and a Master’s in Public Health from Columbia University. I’ve spent the years that followed fighting for what every person deserves: the right to know their body, understand their choices, and access honest, affirming, and inclusive health education.
Today, I work with schools, nonprofits, corporations, and communities across the globe to shift the culture around sex education — from shame and silence to empowerment and liberation. Whether I’m speaking on stage, advising institutions, or working directly with young people and families, I lead with clarity, compassion, and the unwavering belief that knowledge is a human right.
Social progress doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when we name the harm, build something better, and ensure that every person — no matter their age, identity, or zip code — is seen, heard, and equipped to thrive.
This work is personal. It’s urgent. And it’s just getting started.
I hope you’ll join me — so we can learn, unlearn, and heal together.
With love,