Hi, I was born and raised in the Republic. When I was 12 I moved to Boston, Massachusetts. I went to high school there and then went to BYU Idaho for my undergrad in International Studies. While I was there I I was part of the student service council, which was fun because our job was to help better the services of to students by finding better ways to help places like the bookstore and the food court. I loved being part of the food court because we got to secre shop by buying food. This allowed us to better find ways to serve the students and provide better services. While in undergrad, I also worked assisting a professor in the development of an online class. It was neat for me because I was able to see how online classes are created while still being able to be the student. So, I was able to se both sides of the same coin. I also consider myself to be a social introvert because I like to do things in smaller groups. Now that I am older I have been able to see that because I liked going to activities in school, but I was always too shy to participate in the big events. After graduating rom college I took a job in Provo working in the Marriott Hotel, which allowd me to meet many people from all over the world. I think that happened because BYU was near by and they had many big events going on, which was very fun and exciting. I enjoy the outdoors a lot, which has been surprising to me because I come from a city. I enjoy the outdoors, such as camping, and hiking. I have also picked up skiing, which has allowed me to see why people enjoy the winter. Coming from Boston, I hated winter because it was so cold and humid, but now I actually love the winter. You can do fun things with the snow, and skiing is one of them. I admit, it's extremely hard to get into it... as it is a very painful and hard sport to pick up. I have also picked up mountain biking. I recently went to Moab mountain biking and that was a lot of fun, very hard, but fun. Not sure what is wrong with me, picking up hard and painful hobbies, but I have come to learn that is is worth it trying out new things. I love hiking a lot because I am able to be around the mountains and with nature, which I like a lot and one thing I love about Utah is how many state and national parks there are, including so many pretty mountains. I like sports, speficially playing volleyball and watching baseball and basketball. By default, I love the Red Sox... as I am from Boston! I enjoy dancing, mainly spanish music, like Merengue, Bachata and salsa. I, however, enjoy listening to all kinds of music. Recently I listened to an arabic playlist that was suggested in my spotify and I love it, though I have no idea what they are saying. So, I am pretty open to new music. If it sounds nice I will listen to it. I love movies, specifically chick flicks! Lame, I know, but I must embrace it! I also enjoy reading, mainly non-fiction. I have been reading more fiction now that I am in school, since school reading are pretty intense. It's also a way for me to not watch so much TV!

As I mentioned, I studied International Studies. I am now getting my master’s in public administration. I initially wanted to go to law school as I got a job in immigration law, as a paralegal. Working there, I have learned that I want to go into education and work with immigrant people, either at a high school level or college level. I met people who were not able to attend school because they could not see any value in education. I want to work helping this population. Part of that is because I value education and love learning, and it is something I’d like to help people appreciate as well. Not just because I like learning but because I know it is something that can help people have a better future and be better prepared. As I am getting my MPA, I am doing my electives in Education, Leadership and Policy (ELP) because I want to have the management side of it, but also have some education background. I am hoping that in the future I can work for the state or a school district, or university in finding ways to better help this population obtain an education. If I stay at the college level, I may get a PhD, but it all depends on where life takes me. Right now, I am just looking to transition into this, either at a college level or high school. We shall see where life takes me.

My passions, as far as education or professional goes, focuses on students and helping them have an education and be better prepared for the future. I want to help them see that there is a value in education and I want them to have someone, either a relative, friend or mentor, be a guide to them so they can have a better future. Because I see it in my current job, I can only imagine how much bigger of a problem this is, and that is where I want to focus, as I see how many people are affected by lack of education. I'm hoping that I can continue to grow and develop and see what happens. Please let me know if you have any questions.