From my great-grandmother, who immigrated from Querétaro to Guanajuato, within her native Mexico, to escape domestic violence; to my own mother, who immigrated from her native Guanajuato, Mexico, to California to give us a better life, the women in my life have taught me hard work, perseverance, and a superb work ethic.

My husband, Sergio, and I have worked hard our entire lives. Sergio is a UA469 Union Plumber and I am currently working as a Legal Advocate at ALWAYS, a non-profit organization. We moved to Goodyear from California 13 years ago for the same reason so many of us do, to give our three children a better life—a safe community with good schools, friendly people, and opportunities to grow and flourish.

Over the course of two decades I have spent my career as a paralegal advocating for social justice. During my time with the State Attorney General’s office I worked in sections that represented the Department of Environmental Quality and the Arizona Game and Fish Department advocating for Arizona's environment and to protect and conserve Arizona's wildlife. I also have worked at two non-profit legal aid organizations where we assisted our indigent community with countless issues, from family law, restraining orders, immigration, housing, public benefits, and healthcare, to criminal expungements and wage claims.

My mother taught me the value of family and service to others. I am who I am today because of her.

In addition to social justice, education has been a focus for me. As our children grew older and my husband and I saw the education system worsen in Arizona, instead of complaining about it I decided to run for the Agua Fria Union High School District. I won that election and have been serving on the school board since January of 2017. I also proudly serve as a board member of the Arizona Latino School Board Association and served two years on the legislative committee at the Arizona School Board Association. I am a member of the National Association of Latino Elected/Appointed Officials (NALEO) and the National School Board Association Latino Caucus.

During my years of work and service I’ve seen first-hand how decisions are made and how officials who are supposed to serve and represent an entire community sometimes put their friends in positions of power and authority to perpetuate a system that rewards the few.

My experiences have brought me, with the support of my family, to a decision point. Because our legislators have not taken action to adequately  fund public schools and to tackle the countless other issues our state faces, I decided to take action myself and run for office so that I can work for the good of all from a seat in the Arizona House of Representatives. 

As I face this new challenge and new opportunity, I think a lot about my mother, who passed away from scleroderma in 2007. I hope to continue to make her proud and honor her memory, sacrifice, and hard work through all I do to serve in my own home, in my church and community, and in the State of Arizona.