Summary
Languages: English and Spanish
I began my involvement in the community and found a passion for helping others at a very young age. My grandma would take me to feed the homeless on the weekends, and it was then that I first discovered the inequities people face in this world. Throughout my teen years, I continued to be involved in the community and began volunteering for political campaigns.
I combined my work with gang intervention and my passion for youth issues and organized a series of town hall meetings to educate the community on issues that were affecting young people. I was able to organize large groups of people to advocate for issues such as homelessness, violence, drugs, teen pregnancy and the environment.
As the years went by, my level of organizing and understanding expanded. At 21, I was able to get a school named after a local welfare rights champion, Ruby Duncan. I also worked for a national campaign devoted to getting immigration reform passed at the federal level. With the campaign, I was able to mobilize over 10,000 people and create an entire movement to reach out to thousands on the issue of immigration reform. As the youngest state director with the campaign, I was able to mobilize the largest groups and work with the Senate majority to prioritize immigration reform.
I have been a longtime Nevada government affairs and community outreach professional. I previously held positions within the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), including chief of staff for the chancellor of NSHE and director of government affairs and communication for the College of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas. I was also press secretary and senior community liaison for Nevada U.S. Congressman Steven Horsford and was a program assistant for Clark County. I am also founder of the non-profit Nevada Youth Network, which works with the youth of Nevada to prepare them to become tomorrow’s leaders.