Q: How did your family and culture influence who you are today?
One thing I will always remember from my childhood was watching my mother pack a bag with clothes when leaving for work. When asked she explained that she was taking them to a homeless woman she talked to everyone morning in the train station. The second piece that has really shaped my life is the adversity that not only myself but others in the LGBTQ+ community have faced. As a proud LGBTQ+ individual I know that we must do better for our communities to allow everyone to live their lives to their fullest. Whether I am teaching a financial literacy class or mentoring LGBTQ+ I know that I can leave a lasting impact on their lives as my family or strangers left on mine.
Q: Why do you believe community service is important?
I believe that everyone can leave a positive impact on a stranger in their life. The phrase community service can sometimes carry a negative connotation; however, I want to help shape the minds of those individuals to really show the many positive impacts of community service. Community service/volunteering allows us to continue the work around diversity and inclusion in our local communities. I remember the last time I went to St Mary’s Food Bank to help pack food boxes I didn’t know anyone there, but it allows me the ability to learn from the other volunteers as we worked together to help make a larger impact on the Arizona communities.
Q: Why do you care about financial and economic education?
Financial and economic education can shape the future of every individual regardless of the background they come from. With every class that I teach in our local community I know that we are not only changing the habits of the adults, but we are also helping shape the minds of the children for their future. The other thing that I strive to teach everyone in my sessions is that budgeting, credit and getting out of debt can be fun. If our goal is to continue to break the cycle of generational poverty, we need to continue our work in the communities.
