My multi-cultural identity weaves experiences of my Southern California-based Chicano family and my New Orleans-based French, Italian, and Irish family. My parents danced their way across Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and India before settling in a farmhouse in rural Pennsylvania with a group of musicians and dancers who played live music through my home birth. We moved across 4 states before I started 6th grade.

Along the way, I gained two siblings, learned to build community across cultural differences, and made lifelong friends in each new hometown. As the self-identified third parent, I committed to creating order in my household of creatives and honed the leadership skills that would eventually fuel my career interests leading organizations, educating students PK-16, and collaborating with colleagues to promote equity and belonging in non-profit, education, and corporate environments.

Although I was exposed to many cultures through our family friends, I began to deeply explore my own Chicana identity as an undergraduate at UC Berkeley. During my travels to over 35 countries across 6 continents, I have sought out conversations with teachers, gardeners, and grandmas to gather strategies, seeds, and recipes.

My partner and I are dedicated auntie and uncle to 3 nephews, a niece, and three godchildren, who fill our lives with joy and wonder, keep us grounded in the present, and give us hope for the future.