I grew up in a beautiful family environment in my country Dominican

Republic. My parents did not go to college but they always told to us that they

will have to do everything for us to go to college. As the oldest of my siblings, I

was the first to achieve my dreams studying Laws.

As a Lawyer, I began to work in the field; I worked at a law office where I

stayed for about ten years dealing with divorces, companies, and people

involved in drugs cases. This was a great experience, since learning from my

colleagues helped me to improve my knowledge, and elevate my skill as a

Lawyer. All my family had the opportunity to immigrate to the United States,

and I decided to follow them. I was living in New York City, I earned an

Associates Degree in Office Technology, and I also acquired a license as a

Billing and Coding Specialist. In August 2005 I moved from New York City to

Massachusetts; in 2006, I began to work as a volunteer with the Boston

Housing Authority. While doing so, I received training in various areas. I was a

Resident Health Advocate with BHA promoting screenings in housing

developments. I am therefore very familiar with the health resources in my

community and with working in diverse environments.

This experience motivated me to continue studying and helping others. It

provided me with an opportunity to practice both my legal and administrative

skills, while also focusing on my interest in community health. After this, I

entered in to a graduate certificate program to study Women Politics & Public

Policy (WPPP) at the University of Massachusetts Boston (Umass). The Women

Politics & Public Policy program was just a bridge that allowed me to take the

first step in demonstrating my ideological motivations to become an activist and

leader in my community. A few years later, I was a volunteer at South Boston

en Accion, a small nonprofit organization working for Latinos community as a

Community Organizer educating Boston Housing Authority (BHA) residents

about housing policies and Civil Rights, among others duties.

Six years ago, I started as an employee at Boston University Henry M.

Goldman School of Dental Medicine Department of Health Policy & Health

Services Research as a Research Project Assistant (RPA) CREEDD, Project 2.

We were conducting a dental research study to prevent cavities in children from

0 to 5 years in public housing. While I was a Boston University employee I

graduated from a Certificate in Project Management.

Now, I am a part time Counselor/ Research Assistant at Boston Medical Center

educating people from different background in another research study to

improve the health of people who is overweight.