I began my post-secondary education at Gavilan College where I received an A.A. in Social Sciences and transfer credits to attend UCSC. While at Gavilan, I participated in student government both as Vice President of Records and President and was the student representative on many campus committees. Participation in these activities gave me an understanding of the governance process and I was able to understand the fundamentals of how a community college operates.
 
I transferred to UC Santa Cruz in 2008, where I majored in the combined Politics and Latin American/Latino Studies major. While at UCSC, I worked for STARS (Services for Transfer And Re-entry Students) as a peer advisor and was also an International Peer Advisor for Colleges 9 and 10 at the International Living Center. I was also involved in a variety of activities including an internship with the Chicano Latino Resource Center and a member of the Vice Chancellor's Student Advisory Committee. During my final year at UCSC, I began an internship with the California Coalition for Rural Housing Rural West Internship Program where I learned about the affordable housing development process. My host agency was MidPen Housing Corporation.
 
After I graduated from UCSC, I began working full time for MidPen Housing as a Project Associate and have moved up the ladder to my current occupation of Project Manager. I have worked on the development of over 700 units of affordable housing in Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Mateo Counties on both new construction and rehabilitation projects. While I was a project associate, I took classes at Cabrillo in Construction and Energy Management to understand the construction process and terminology a bit more. I was able to earn a LEED Associate and also became a Notary Public at Cabrillo. This not only benefited my career, but I was also able to learn from my fellow students and teachers on the various trades and jobs that are part of the construction industry. 

Today, I am involved with various groups throughout Santa Cruz County including the Democratic Central Committee and Affordable Housing Now. I am lead organizer for Santa Cruz County Affordable Housing Week and I serve as Chair to the Santa Cruz County Latino Affairs Commission. I love my community and I hope I can represent you as a trustee on the Cabrillo College Board. 

As our country and community struggle with the racial disparities that continue to exist, it is now more important that ever to have inclusive conversations about all resources and services that are funded by the people. It is because of this that I am a registered Democrat. It's important that many voices are heard as part of the decision making process so that no one group gets a greater allocation of resources over another. Let's start this conversation now!