Amada Irma Perez Amada Irma Pérez is a third-grade teacher in Oxnard, California, and a leading advocate of programs encouraging multicultural understanding. Like many of her students, Amada Irma was born in Mexico and came to the United States as a young chil. My Very Own Room is based on her own family story. She lives with her family in Ventura, California. Read More Read Less