I grew up in rural Hawaii. I learned the value of hard work and service from my father, a veteran and small business owner. My mother, a social worker, taught me the value of empathy and reaching out a helping hand to those in need. They taught me to believe that there isn’t anything that we can’t accomplish together as long as we are willing to listen to each other and put in the necessary effort.
I attended Reed College, where I started my activism by volunteering with the Queer Alliance, Amnesty International, and the Feminist Student Union. I knew if I wanted to do all I could to be of service, that I needed more education. With a combination of a little luck and a lot of effort, I earned a scholarship to the University of St. Thomas for law school to continue to work for a world in which everyone, regardless of their race, religion, economic status, or who they loved could have access to the justice system. I continued my student organizing work on the Lawyer’s Council on Social Justice, the Black Law Students Association, and Out!Law, the LGBTQ+ student association. During law school, I held internships at the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights and the Midwest Coalition for Human Rights.
After I passed the bar exam, I worked in family law where I helped people struggling with substance abuse, domestic violence, and immigration issues. I then spent four years at Thomson Reuters in community relations, where I managed community grants and giving, employee volunteer activities, and diversity and inclusion efforts.
It was during this time that our first child, Hypatia, was born. I remember the joy my husband and I felt taking her home from the hospital for the first time. When I was ready to return to work, I also remember the sense of dread when my husband and I were sitting around the kitchen table trying to figure out how we were going to be able to afford childcare of any kind.
I knew I wanted to be involved making my neighborhood a great place for my daughter to grow up in, so I joined the Payne-Phalen Community Council. Within a year, I was elected as president. I increased our board’s diversity and recruited people that had not previously been involved in neighborhood decision making. Now we are a majority minority board, and we’re working hard to build a safe, livable environment that all of our neighbors can enjoy.
I know that so much more needs to be done. I know too many families struggled like mine to find childcare that doesn’t break the bank. I’ve heard too many stories from people priced out of their homes because of the rising cost of everything from housing to healthcare. I know that these are problems that we can solve together. It is going to take a lot of work, but I know that no problem is bigger than what we can all achieve together. I’m looking forward to talking to as many of you as possible, and I hope you’ll reach out to me to share your concerns or ideas.
