My Journey

I've always been a teacher — even before I realized teaching would become part of my career.

 

When my family moved from Puerto Rico to Northern Virginia, I was nine years old. Although I already spoke English, I asked to attend summer school to strengthen my language skills before starting school in Virginia. A few years later, I volunteered to tutor Spanish-speaking ESL students at my high school, hoping to give others the same confidence and support that had helped me. Working with classmates from across Latin America broadened my understanding of culture, identity, and belonging, and taught me early that communication can either open doors or create barriers.

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Long before I stood in front of a college classroom, those experiences shaped the way I approached communication: not simply as the exchange of information, but as a way to help people understand, connect, participate, and thrive. As a bilingual journalist, I anchored the evening news at Univision 40 and covered two U.S. presidential elections in Spanish and English, translating complex issues into information families could use to make informed decisions. Later, in public affairs, nonprofit leadership, and strategic communication, that responsibility took different forms: explaining public policy, humanizing research through real stories, connecting organizations with the communities they served, and helping clients communicate with greater clarity, empathy, and purpose.

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As a first-generation college student, I have always viewed education as something to be shared, not simply earned. That belief eventually brought me into the classroom at William Peace University, where teaching allows me to help the next generation of communicators develop their own voices while continuing to learn alongside them. I often tell my students, “Don’t just tell them -- show them.” In return, they continually challenge me to explain not only what works, but why it works.

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The roles have changed. The audiences have changed. But the mission has remained remarkably consistent: I believe communication is, at its heart, an act of education. That belief ultimately brought me back to the classroom in another role: as a graduate student in the Master of Arts in Integrated Marketing Communication program at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). After more than twenty years as a communication practitioner, I wanted to better understand the research, theory, and ethical frameworks behind the work I had spent my career doing. The program transformed years of practice into more intentional, evidence-based expertise while reaffirming something I had believed since childhood: learning and teaching are lifelong pursuits that continually strengthen one another.

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This portfolio documents that evolution through three interconnected themes: Strategic Communication & Professional Positioning; Ethics, Diversity & Inclusion; and Integrated Campaign Development & Knowledge Translation. Together, these projects demonstrate more than what I have learned through graduate study and professional practice. They show how I apply that knowledge—to analyze problems, develop thoughtful communication strategies, tell more inclusive stories, and translate complex ideas into meaningful action.

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Whether I am in the classroom, at the consulting table, or helping an organization connect more meaningfully with the people it serves, my goal remains the same: to use communication to open doors for learning, understanding, and opportunity.

 

I hope you'll do more than read my story.

 

My hope is that you’ll be part of the next chapter.

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Let’s connect.