I did my best to remind her to run forward without looking back lest tribulations would sneak up on her in the form of lifted roots—in a forest of experience I have stumbled before. I looked into her eyes as she picked herself up and gave her all the strength I could muster. “You be smart not to fall again,” I told her as I held her pretty face in my hands as she nodded. Then came a cliff against the waters, we grasped hands and smiled—being together is all that mattered.
Many things have inspired me along the way, from the way that atoms interact to universal forces working in tandem to bring joy into my life.
I arrived from Cuba at the young age of 6 years old, became a big sister to an exceptional little boy at the age of 13, went off to college as a first-generation college student, earned a Bachelor's degree in Biological Chemistry from Grinnell College. After graduating, I became a high school science teacher with Teach for America and taught for 5 years. While teaching, I earned a Master's of Science in Education and Social Change from the University of Miami and then studied at Florida Institute of Technology and became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). Currently I am loving my life as a BCBA where every day I learn new skills applicable in my practice and in my life.
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