I grew up in a household of doctors and planned on becoming a doctor myself. My undergraduate studies prepared me to go to medical school, but before applying, I began working in a family practice clinic as a care manager for patients with diabetes. I saw firsthand the social determinants of health and the complexity of issues in our healthcare system. This experience changed the course of my life and I began to focus on health policy as a way to improve the health of many, rather than clinical work with the individual patient.
I worked as a research assistant for the Colorado School of Public Health, for a policy nonprofit called the Integrative Health Policy Consortium, and last year, worked with then Representative, now Senator Pettersen, as her legislative aide on the opioid crisis, public health in Colorado, and education policies. This summer I worked on the 5A/5B campaign, which secured funding for Jeffco schools, and the Lakewood 2D campaign, which created funding for our parks, police and community needs. I’ve also spent the last nine years volunteering with women who are recovering from addiction and trauma issues.
Although this is a somewhat non-linear path to running for office, I’m running because I deeply care about Lakewood and improving the health of our community. That means making sustainability a priority so that our kids get to experience the same Lakewood that we do. It means investing in bike and alternative transportation infrastructure so we can enjoy the Colorado way of life with our families. It means keeping Lakewood inclusive and affordable for our teachers, firefighters and families. It means investing in our police department’s needs so we continue to be a safe community. And it means actively participating in our democracy because all of our voices need to be heard at the decision making table.
I wasn’t born in Lakewood, I chose Lakewood as my home. I chose to make roots and start a family here, and I’ll work tirelessly to ensure our city and our communities are as happy and healthy as possible.
