I knew I wanted to become a nurse when I was in elementary school. I wanted to make a difference in the quality of care patients receive and felt a career in nursing would afford me the opportunity to help patients through the most challenging moments of their lives. With several family members impacted by cancer, I was drawn specifically to oncology nursing. Oncology patients have inspired me with their courage, hope and determination.

Growing up, my mother would always emphasize the importance of getting an education. Being from a rural population, Cochiti Pueblo, a small Native American pueblo in New Mexico, I know and believe an education is essential to embody independence and hunger for knowledge. I completed my ASN (Associate in Science in Nursing) degree through Santa Fe Community College’s accelerated program in 2016 and obtained my BSN degree at the University of New Mexico in 2018.

I come from a family of nurses, my grandmother pioneering the way through a hospital-based program in the 1950s and then getting her Master’s in Public Health in the 1990s. She inspired me with her remarkable stories and encouraged me to tap into my passion for helping others. With the motivation from grandmother to pursue nursing and my aspiration to follow in my father’s military footsteps, I became a Navy nurse. I attended Marquette University for my Bachelor of Science in Nursing and commissioned in the Navy upon graduation.

The most significant life experiences that have influenced my interest in nursing revolve around family. Both my mother and aunt exemplified a passion for nursing that extended beyond their work in the hospital to my schools, our neighborhood and the community. Another family experience that influenced my interest in nursing was my grandmother’s struggle with post-polio syndrome. When my grandmother was too weak to leave her bed, my mother never hesitated to stop by after a long day at work to help my grandmother with bathing and other care needs.

Born and raised in sunny Ventura on the southern coast of California, I have always had an interest in medicine and a profound love for animals. I received my Bachelor of Science in Animal Sciences from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with the pursuit of becoming a veterinarian, but it ended up not being the career for me.