I was born and raised in the Chicago area, the youngest of five kids. Wanting to experience a new area of the country, I attended the University of New Mexico and obtained a bachelor’s degree in marketing in 1999. After visiting a friend in Portland in 2000, I fell in love with the area and moved here a month later. I worked in corporate social responsibility for about five years before returning to graduate school and obtaining a master’s in social work from Portland State University in 2007. I have always felt a call to service and had an interest in mental and behavioral health. This work is more than a job for me: it is a passion and a privilege to support people in their journeys toward health and well-being.