| North Denver Native
I am a proud North Denver native and third generation House District 4 resident. It is an honor to have been born and raised in this fine district and, with my husband, to raise our children in this neighborhood. It is where I attended public school, rode my bike to the corner store on 29th and Tennyson and had my first job at a restaurant on 32nd and Lowell as a teenager.
My life has been shaped by this district in many amazing ways. I met my husband at North High School, I helped my parents run several small businesses in the district and I have been an advocate as a parent and neighbor. North Denver is where I learned to stand up for others and for our community.
Strong Families Make Strong Communities
Growing up, my parents taught me the importance of helping others. They taught me to be compassionate and empathetic and to fight for what is right. I am incredibly lucky and grateful to have had active and engaged parents in my education and spiritual and emotional well-being. My family's support allowed my siblings and me to grow, build relationships and be resilient. I knew early in my life that I wanted to be of service to others and improve education and services for those youth and families in my community that did not have the support and opportunities my parents made sure I had.
As a public servant, I now work with youth and families to make sure their needs are met through a human services lens, a criminal justice lens and a mental health lens. I provide leadership and a voice to many of the issues our neighbors face and I try to understand their challenges. It is this understanding and leadership that compelled me to step up and fight for families and communities at the state Capitol. With the help of House District 4, I am now able to represent the voice of our community as your State Representative.
Strong Communities Make A Strong Colorado
A good education is the key to strong families and strong communities. Education must be accessible and affordable from early childhood through college. Children who have strong neighborhood schools and access to quality education can compete in higher education and make living wages. Colorado must do better to fund education so ALL our children and families can afford to live, work and thrive in our communities.
I graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and began a career in human services. I worked with Victim's Advocates supporting domestic violence victims. I have worked as a youth counselor, social caseworker and I now am the Director for the Denver Collaborative Partnership.
I work with young people and families in what can be the most stressful and vulnerable situations in their lives. To serve them, I must navigate a complicated juvenile youth services system, partner with families and youth, and work through what can sometimes be a bureaucratic state system. I am responsible for ensuring that the needs of our young people are met, including mental health assistance, substance abuse treatment and basic needs such as housing, clothing and food. This work gives me a unique perspective on the many challenges our families face and what can be done to address them.
I have long been drawn to public service because of my desire to make a difference; a difference that betters the lives of those around me. I am honored to have been elected to the Colorado State Legislature in 2018 and to have had the opportunity to serve my first session in 2019 as a State Representative for House District 4. During my first year, I was appointed by the Speaker of the House to the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice as the legislative representative. I am also currently serving on the Judiciary and the Public Health Care and Human Services Committees and am the Colorado Democratic Latino Caucus Co-chair. In my first legislative session, I remained committed to working with the community and putting forth legislation to benefit my neighbors and others.
The House District 4 community deserves someone who cares about their issues, will listen to them, and will fight every day to make their lives better. I am that person and am honored to represent you. As your representative, I want to be available for my constituents to listen to your concerns, interests, and suggestions on how to better our district and Colorado. I believe that stronger families make our communities stronger and together, we will make a strong Colorado that works for all of us. |