Professional Experience: I put my formal and informal education into practice, combining both together with my leadership, achieving professional personal growth and community change through 18 years of volunteering and 6 years of formal work at Cultivando. In 2012, I was recognized as the best citizen of the year, successfully strengthening, and developing my leadership, thus inspiring people like me in my community and making a difference. Contributing to achieve positive changes, learning about the system, technology, rights, history, scholarships, and advocacy.

Why did I choose to work at Cultivando: I am an immigrant woman, mother of four children in an unknown system, seeing and living the need and lack of resources since 1998. The feeling of not belonging or deserving gave me distrust. I started volunteering in 1998 at Hanson Kearney Community Schools. Community organizations like Community Enterprise, Ground Work Denver, Together Colorado, La Poderosa Corporation, community church, doing advocacy in District #14, and Club Aztecas with soccer teams for low-income kids from the community and surrounding areas. In Cultivando I have found fulfillment, learning, individual and community support, solidarity, growth, being able to share my leadership, changes for a healthy and strong community. Rewarding challenges for personal professional and community development such as understanding, equity, transparency, teamwork, meeting goals, solidarity, and carrying out my values inside and outside the organization.

Hidden Talent: I have the talents of singing, inspiring, listening, empathizing, supporting, strengthening relationships through trust, sharing knowledge with the sense of belonging and deserving, and learning to navigate technology.

What I like to do when I am not working: I have learned to let go of situations in which I have no control. It helps me to breathe, go for walks, and spend time with family like camping, cooking, shopping, and resting, taking time off for myself.