Mindy discovered the wonderful world of creative reuse warehouses while studying Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration at San Francisco State University. As part of her thesis on Nonprofits in Human Services, Mindy teamed up with a local creative reuse center called SCRAP to develop their educational resource program in partnership with San Francisco Unified School District. During her time with SCRAP, Mindy helped establish the nonprofit as a free resource for Bay Area teachers, and was able to secure a grant to fund monthly workshops designed specifically for educators.

Once back in her hometown of Los Angeles, Mindy continued her support of educational nonprofits through an Operations position at Kidspace Children’s Museum. When she finally found Two Bit Circus Foundation (then known as Trash for Teaching) Mindy was able to combine her experience in Nonprofit Operations with her passion for upcycling to carry on the mission of environmental stewardship through alternative education.