I grew up in Lawrenceville, Georgia. In terms of my K-12 education, I was a Latina student in a predominately white neighborhood. The high school that I attended was very well-resourced. I had access to lots of advanced classes, and I knew that college would be an option for me.

I went to the University of Georgia to study education. I wanted to be a teacher. I knew that I wanted to seek an organization that would provide some sort of mission-alignment, because being a public school teacher in the United States is incredibly difficult.

When I learned about Teach For America and their mission, I knew that it would be the right fit for me. They believed that all children should have access to the opportunity to make the choices for themselves that would lead them to have successful and prosperous lives. What I also understood was that there were hundreds of Teach For America alumni across the country doing incredible work, not just inside the classroom but also beyond it. That for me was also really exciting.