I am a multicultural emerging clinician and mixed-heritage Latina whose family story shaped my commitment to culturally attuned care. As a teen, I navigated addiction, mental illness, and cultural silence, and I rarely encountered mental health support that reflected my identity or realities. That absence became purpose: to become the therapist I once needed and to help make care feel accessible, safe, and truly seen. Before entering this field, I spent two decades in nonfiction television, writing and producing projects including Intervention. That work trained me to listen closely, hold nuance, and honor people in vulnerable moments without judgment. Returning to graduate school later in life has been one of the most meaningful decisions I have made, because it lets me turn storytelling into direct service. Today, I am earning my Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy at The Chicago School (formally known as The Chicago School of Professional Psychology) in Los Angeles and am a 2025–2026 AAMFT Minority Fellowship Program–Youth recipient. Delta Kappa Alpha Lambda and SCLA member. My training centers on trauma-informed care, family systems, addiction recovery, and culturally responsive therapy for youth and families impacted by inequity. Long term, I am an early PsyD trainee and look to earn my PsyD, open a nonprofit expanding access to affordable, identity-affirming mental health care, and mentor future clinicians who reflect the communities they serve.

• Behavioral Interventionist

  Mental Health Care · Easterseals

  Jan 2024 – Jan 2025

• Documentarian for study abroad: The Power of One Morocco

  Mental Health Care · The Chicago School

  Jan 2024 – Jan 2024

• Professional Nanny & Long-Term Family Caregiver

  Individual & Family Services · Independent

  Jan 2000 – Present

• Applied behavioral interventions to support youth with ASD and emotional regulation needs Collaborated with families to establish consistency, structure, and relational trust

  Mental Health Care · Independent + Easterseals (2024)

  Jan 2010 – Present

• Writer, Producer, Director

  Broadcast Media · National Geographic, A&E, Discovery

  Jan 2004 – Present

• Advocacy
• Politics
• Volunteering
• Philanthropy
• Entrepreneurship

• Cross-Country Running

  Varsity

  1992 – 2016

• Marathon

  Varsity

  1994 – Present

• Documentarian

  The Chicago School · Psychology, Other

  2024 – 2024

  Research topic:

  Intersectionality in Morocco

• Student researcher

  Loyola Marymount · Visual and Performing Arts, General

  1994 – Present

  Research topic:

  Studied intersections of narrative, culture, psychological themes in storytelling

• Researcher

  The Chicago School · Behavioral Sciences

  2024 – 2024

  Research topic:

  Camouflaging Autism as a Strategy for Being a Minority Woman in the Workplace

• Supervising Story Producer Focus on producing ethical, trauma-aware stories centered on identity, family systems, resilience, and survival.

  National Geographic, Discovery, A+E, Food Network, Lifetime, Netflix · Videography

  2004 – 2023

  Productions:

  Naked and Afraid , Intervention, Kids Baking Championship, Life Below Zero: Next Generation

• Produce, write, edit a documentary about our cohort’s study abroad experience to Morocco

  Volunteering · The Community Solution Education System & The Chicago School (Los Angeles, campus)

  2024 – Present

  Mission:

  Create a CTA / visual record of the study abroad experience in Morocco

• Fellow

  Advocacy · MFP-Y The Foundation for the Advancement of Human Systems (FAHS)

  2025 – Present

  Mission:

  "The Foundation for the Advancement of Human Systems (FAHS) exists to fund research focusing on healthy and strong human systems – individuals, couples, families and communities."

• Volunteer Provides direct support and essential resources to community members experiencing homelessness Advocates for equitable access to mental health services

  Volunteering · Homeless Los Angeles

  2004 – Present

  Mission:

  Feeding the homeless

• Team Lead Leads outreach efforts to reduce mental health stigma Supports community education and suicide prevention initiatives

  Advocacy · Foundation for Suicide Prevention

  2023 – Present

  Mission:

  Suicide Awareness