I specialize in caring for vulnerable women and children, aiming to ensure that all people receive quality, compassionate care, while also being an expert in promoting maternal and child health domestically and globally. From evaluating breastfeeding policies in the Middle East to the impact of long acting reversible contraception in sub-Saharan Africa, I am committed to empowering women and families.

I'm originally from Long Beach, California, and studied bio-psychology at the University of California at Santa Barbara. While I had volunteered at hospitals during my undergraduate career, it wasn't until I became a patient with partial paralysis that nurses really became heroes in my eyes. It was then that I decided I wanted to be that advocate and caretaker for families in both their happiest and hardest life moments.

I decided to become a nurse for the same reason everyone does — to get rich! When you get a message from a parent celebrating the birthday of one of your little miracles, well there is nothing in the world more valuable than that.

I earned my BSN with distinction from Sun Yat-sen University and later completed my MS at the School of Public Health, Huazhong University of Science and Technology.

I am a first-generation Latino college graduate and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Physiology from East Carolina University. For the past two years, I have worked as a medical assistant at a primary care clinic, where approximately 85% of the patients are native Spanish speakers. I have been made aware of the severe lack of Spanish speaking medical professionals that are available to assist the Hispanic population with their medical needs.

Originally from Maryland, I received my Bachelor of Arts in Health Care Studies from the University of Richmond. I've always known that the health care profession was for me. I valued caring for others and have always been fascinated in disease processes. However, I was a bit stuck as to which path in health care would suit me best, so I took some time to work as a medical assistant. An encounter with one patient stayed with me. She took the time to pull me aside and stated how well I had treated her during her visit.

When I first began my higher education journey, I was professionally interested in lab research, so I earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from UNC-Chapel Hill. However, shortly after my time in undergrad, I had the opportunity to work as a research specialist for a large epidemiological cancer study where I worked alongside a team of nurses who traveled to participants’ homes and conducted interviews. My role in the study required me to collaborate and exchange notes with these nurses as I conducted enrollment interviews.