“Be the change.”

Since forever, that phrase has stuck with me—not just as a mantra, but as a call to action. I’ve always been an optimist, someone who sees possibility everywhere: in streetscapes, building facades, and blocks full of untapped potential —forgotten spaces—spaces that could be reimagined to better serve people. My love for design and creative direction naturally fueled that vision, but it wasn’t until a daily commute that changed everything I understood about my purpose.

Every morning, I passed neglected lots in neighborhoods that felt deeply familiar—places filled with history, culture, generations of potential, and people who looked like me, still waiting for the investment they deserved. What I saw wasn’t just disinvestment; I saw opportunity, and possibility, waiting for someone to champion it. That was my aha moment. It was then I realized my path wasn’t just about creativity—it was about advocacy, and action.

Urban planning became the vehicle to channel all of that: my vision, my values, and my drive to help communities thrive from the inside out. That drive hasn't left me since.