Community Leadership
Throughout my decades of traveling the world with my family, I have developed a great appreciation for community. Wherever I go, I make every effort to connect with the people around me and find ways I can give back to the communities that have welcomed me and given me a home. My love of community is what spawned my lifetime of work as a humanitarian and embedded within me a great passion for connecting people to the resources and opportunities that they need. Where a resource is missing, I make it; Where support is lacking, I recruit it; and where optimism is dimming, I light it. I do all of this and more with the ultimate goal of uplifting and supporting those most vulnerable across the world.
CODEX Builders
2021 – 2023
CODEX Builders is a San Francisco based program serving entrepreneurs in early-stage business development by connecting them with resources, mentors, and networking opportunities. In partnership with Kangle Lin, I co-founded CODEX Builders to address the lack of local resources for entrepreneurs of marginalized identities, particularly women, BIPOC identities, and international students. While leading CODEX Builders, I organized networking and pitch events, built community partnerships, managed a team of interns, and most importantly, mentored 10 startups led by entrepreneurs of marginalized identities from early ideation until the venture capitalists stage.
USF Design Collective
2022 – 2023
USF Design Collective is a group of designers that organizes events, meet and greets, and publications focused on informing and mentoring student designers and building a network of local creative professionals and organizations. I co-founded the Design Collective in 2020 to expand the professional development available to design students and aspiring creatives at the University of San Francisco. I worked as the Vice President and Public Relations Advisor from 2020 until 2022. During this time, we hosted several guest speaker events, held workshops, and published a zine in partnership with Gleeson Library. I continue to assist the Design Collective as an advisor, as they continue to create, collaborate, and assist student designers in building their future careers.
UCSF Grand Rounds
2020
UCSF Grand Rounds is an annual medical conference that brings experts to the University of California San Francisco to inform medical students, professors, and professionals on best current medical practices. In conjunction with the Student Veterans Leadership Council and the Heart and Armor Foundation, I was invited to speak on the unique experiences and needs of female veterans in school, work, and during their transition into civilian life. My presentation expanded on topics such as military sexual trauma, PTSD, moral injury, and what mental health strategies are or are not working to treat those suffering from these ordeals. I am so thankful to have been invited as a subject matter expert and consider it a great honor anytime I am given the opportunity and platform to educate professionals and young people.
USF Military Veterans Club
2017 – 2022
USF Military Veterans Club was a veteran-run organization whose sole aim was to protect, support, and advocate for military veterans as they transition into student life at the University of San Francisco. I co-founded the club in 2017 when faced with the reality that my school, the University of San Francisco, despite having the largest number of veteran students of any school in Northern California, had little interest in supporting or providing resources for them. As a result, many veterans students feel isolated, suffer emotionally, and ultimately are unable to succeed academically and socially during their transition back into civilian life. USF Military Veterans Club worked to provide advocacy and create a sense of community for student veterans and military family members who would otherwise receive little or no support from the school itself. From 2018 until 2020, I managed public relations, procured donations, and coordinated events including the first ever Veterans Day Celebration at USF. We are very proud to have brought together our network of veterans on several occasions to connect, share stories, and support one another as a community.
USF 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony
2017 – 2019
The USF 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony was a yearly community event co-hosted by the USF Military Veterans Club and the University of San Francisco University Ministry to honor the civilians, firefighters, veterans, and other first responders who lost their lives at the 9/11 terror attacks. I helped to organize the event and presented as the keynote speaker from 2017 until 2019.
Rosie K : 5 Soldiers
2019 – 2020
“5 SOLDIERS is a moving, dramatic and unique work that looks at how the human body remains essential to war, even in the 21st century.”
Rosie Kay is an independent contemporary dance company based in the UK that creates performances reflecting current social, economic, and cultural issues. In 2019, the company was brought to San Francisco to perform their show, 5 Soldiers, at the War Memorial Veterans Building. I had been brought to sit on the feedback panel as a woman veteran, and found that not only was the show profoundly moving, but it captured the emotions and harsh realities I was made to face during my decades of serving in, traveling with, and advocating for myself within the U.S. military. After the show, the choreographer and I connected, and I offered my assistance in orchestrating the West Coast tour of 5 Soldiers. I worked closely with the marketing department to promote each performance, collaborated with venues to manage logistics, designed promotional materials, assisted in outreach, and took lead on public relations. The West Coast tour was an amazing success and I am so glad to have been able to support this masterpiece, which touched so many.
Student Veterans Leadership Council
2017 – 2020
The Student Veterans Leadership Council was a veteran advocacy group fighting to protect, support, and expand resources for student veterans. As co-founder of the USF Military Veterans Club, I worked closely with the Student Veterans Leadership Council to expand resources on campus. Notably, we worked to bring a licensed clinical psychologist from the VA to campus one day per week and pressed the school to make space for them. While the Student Veterans Leadership Council has since dissolved, there are ongoing discussions between myself and the Heart and Armor Foundation to continue the advocacy work under their purview.
TRR’s “Warrior Camp”
2014 – 2016
TRR’s “Warrior Camp” is a 10-day intensive treatment that serves veterans and first responders with the sole aim of preventing military suicides. I first came across Warrior Camp in 2014 while on my own healing journey, and, touched by their mission and impact, served as the Program Director and Lead Operations Manager for the 2015 and 2016 cohorts. Each program took six months to plan and complete, and my role on the team covered all logistical aspects from venue and resource acquisition to participant travel details. I had the privilege of overseeing two cohorts as they came, healed, and graduated Warrior Camp forever changed by the experience. For anyone considering registering to be a part of a cohort or curious about what Warrior Camp entails, you are welcome to contact me for details about the experience.