Ethan Bertrand is the newest member of the Goleta Union School Board.
“Through my upbringing I had a lot of challenges, but I also had a lot of support that helped me succeed,” Bertrand said. “I care a lot about diversity, equity and inclusion. That is something that is really important right now for our local schools.”
Bertrand will take the school board seat in December after no other candidates sought the position for the November election.
In this podcast interview with Josh Molina, Bertrand talks about his life growing up in New Jersey, struggles with education and being overlooked by the system. He was supported by teachers and counselors and eventually he turned his education life around at Santa Barbara City College.
“I went from being a C and D student to for most of my high school career to graduating with a 4.0 grade point average, straight As, and gettting into UCLA, UC Berkeley and UCSB by the time I was done with Santa Barbara City College,” Bertrand said.
Bertrand has emerged as one of the region’s brightest young stars.
In addition to his role on the Goleta Union School District board, he serves on the board of the Isla Vista Community Services District, an entity he helped create through activism. He is also field representative for Santa Barbara County Second District Supervisor Gregg Hart. He hopes to bring all of his expertise to the school board.
“With my experience, there were times when I wanted to pursue a more difficult class, maybe it was an honors class, and it was something of interest to me, and I didn’t make the cut,” Bertrand said.
“I went back to whatever the alternative was. That was really tough. If I was given the opportunity to go into the harder class, even though it was more challenging, it was something I was interested in and I would have worked harder and taken it seriously.”
Bertrand said that experience helps him understand students who aren’t doing as well in school.
“As we’re going forward, it’s really looking at the whole picture and understanding that if we are supporting students that aren’t doing so well, that benefits everyone,” Bertrand said.
Bertrand also shares stories about growing up with a twin brother Dean Bertrand, and talks about how his family and parents have always been supportive of him.
In addition to his political work, Bertrand is also an accomplished singer. He plays at his church, at clubs and restaurants, weddings and with cover bands.
“While I wasn’t succeeding so much in the classroom for a couple of years, I was really learning a lot of great music and guitar,” Bertrand said. “From the time I got home from school until bed time I would spend just playing my guitar. It’s been a lifelong passion.”
Catch the entire hour-long podcast by clicking here or on the above link.
Joshua Molina is an award-winning journalist who launched his podcast series in 2020. To consider a sponsorship, email him at josh@santabarbaratalks.com. Molina also teaches journalism at Santa Barbara City College and Cal State University Northridge. Molina previously covered San Jose City Hall for the San Jose Mercury News. Please subscribe to his podcast here and visit his website SantaBarbaraTalks.com