After high school, I thought I would become a counselor. I enrolled in a counseling certificate program, believing I could help individuals navigate hardship one person at a time.

As I continued my education, I began to see the bigger picture. I became a first-generation college student, earning my bachelor’s degree in social work, and grew increasingly interested in how policy, advocacy, and nonprofit leadership could drive systemic change.

That realization led me to pursue my Master of Social Work (MSW), specializing in communities and policy arenas with a focus on health and mental health. I wanted to work not only at the individual level, but at the systems level — where sustainable, large-scale change becomes possible.

During undergrad, I discovered I had a talent for fundraising when I wrote my first grant proposal and helped run a grassroots campaign. That experience shifted everything. I saw how resource-building could fuel real change — and how strategic philanthropy could sustain movements, not just programs.

In graduate school, I sharpened that focus, honing in on nonprofit management and development as a path where strategy and action intersect. I realized fundraising wasn’t about “raising money.” It was about building alignment, resourcing vision, and translating conviction into capacity.

Throughout my career, I’ve worked across diverse issue areas — community development, education equity, environmental justice, gender equity, global mental health, democracy and narrative change — always with the same goal: helping mission-driven organizations grow their resources and deepen their impact.

I began in social policy and program evaluation at a local university, translating data into strategies for stronger community initiatives. I earned a Citizen Planner certificate through the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, deepening my understanding of how civic engagement and thoughtful planning drive lasting change. I later carried that systems lens into leadership roles at community development institutions and national nonprofits, building diversified revenue strategies, leading major gifts and institutional fundraising, and designing development programs that strengthened long-term sustainability.

Education has been a consistent thread in my work. As a first-generation college student, I understand how transformative access can be. I’ve led fundraising efforts for STEM education, special education, and nonprofit student finance institutions serving low-income and first-generation college students — building partnerships that expand opportunity.

Environmental justice has also shaped my path. At a national environmental nonprofit, I directed a development team responsible for major gifts, corporate partnerships, and grants — breaking fundraising records and expanding reach. I’ve written about the intersection of food insecurity, environmental exploitation, and social inequity, and have led local sustainability initiatives in my own community.

Feminism has been another defining theme of my life and career. I’ve raised awareness and funding for organizations fighting sex trafficking, supporting survivors of childhood sexual violence (mostly girls), and educating girls and women in underdeveloped nations and war-torn communities. I’ve also organized petitions for women’s access to reproductive healthcare, written on sexism in the workplace, and marched against sexual violence. For me, advancing gender equity has always meant tackling barriers on every front, through both professional and grassroots efforts alike.

Another area of my work has focused on helping to shape progressive narratives and strengthen the infrastructure of progressive movements. I’ve supported some of the most important movements of my generation, sometimes standing in quiet solidarity with causes and at other times lending my voice, my time, and my organizing energy. I’ve also co-founded relief funds and community initiatives, stepped up in moments of crisis to mobilize support, joined various grassroots campaigns aimed at dismantling systemic injustice, and even worked with a nonprofit publication amplifying voices for justice, democracy, and peace at a national scale. Whether through narrative change, direct action, or fundraising, I have always sought to resource and sustain social justice movements.

Taken together, my experiences have given me a unique, 360-degree perspective on the nonprofit sector and progressive movements — from grassroots campaigns to institutional partnerships, from community-based organizations to national and international organizations. What unites all of this is my commitment to pairing innovation with action: designing strategies that inspire and then rolling up my sleeves to make them real.

Outside of my professional life, I love having new experiences whenever and however I can, whether through books, movies, or visiting new places. Travel has been especially meaningful for me, offering the chance to immerse myself in cultures and communities beyond my own. In Guatemala, I joined an introspective retreat that invited reflection and renewal; in Italy, I studied the language and found deep friendship in the most unexpected places; in Paris, I set out on a whirlwind solo adventure, walking more than 40,000 steps a day to take in as much as I could; and in Puerto Rico, I reconnected with a dear friend from my graduate program who now calls San Juan home, learning from her and other locals about the island’s rich history and spirit. These experiences, and many more, have deepened my sense of curiosity and reminded me of the value of seeing the world through different lenses. And I hope to travel more often and to many more places in the future. Closer to home, I find joy in kayaking, swimming, practicing yoga, and lately, spending time in the garden growing some of my own food. I’m also an avid reader and lifelong learner, and I enjoy writing as both a creative outlet and a way of making sense of the world.

Most of all, I’m the proud mom of three beautiful kids — a three-and-a-half-year-old boy and 10-month-old twins, a girl and a boy — who truly are my world and inspire everything I do. My three-year-old son is kind-hearted, playful, curious, and loving — he keeps me on my toes (literally, he loves to dance) and fills our days with laughter and big questions. One of my twins, my daughter, already reminds me so much of myself: she’s so observant and intent on taking everything in, plus she’s already mastered the stink eye, and she can go from zero to sixty in seconds flat. My other twin, my baby boy, might just be the happiest baby anyone has ever met — his smile is pure sunshine, and he has an uncanny ability to melt your worries away just by looking at you. My children remind me every day why this work matters. I want to leave the world better than I found it, and I hope to raise my kids to be empathetic, kind, and strong — the kind of people who know right from wrong and stand up for what they believe in. At the same time, my deepest wish is to help create a world where there’s less need for them to fight those battles, because by the time I leave it, the world will be fairer, more just, and more whole than it was when I brought them into it.