Why did you choose TKE?
I pledged TEKE as a graduate student. I was looking for an opportunity to build bonds and to mentor.

Who influneced you most in your time in the Fraternity?
I cannot say that one particular frater influenced me significantly more than others. I greatly enjoyed being a part of fraters’ journeys during that chapter of their lives and especially watching the growth of brothers such as Joseph Roa, Brain Zamora, and Denis Castellanos to name a few, and I greatly admired certain fraters dedication to the fraternity such as Ed Proenza and Jerry Campos.

Share your best college/Fraternity memory?
My best memory in the fraternity, I cannot share all the details here, but let’s just say it was a brotherhood bonding experience. The life lesson I left with was impossible is possible.

What was the most important thing you learned in the Fraternity?
How to have a meaningful impact on an organization without having an official title. I didn’t get voted into any positions while I was active but I still found a way to contribute to the brotherhood.

Describe the Fraternity in three words?
Brotherhood, Family, Fun

How did your education and/or Fraternity experience prepare you for where you are today?
I am a clinical psychologist and teaching professor of psychology at UCSD. My clinical training, including the Master of Science in Counseling I earned while at FIU and my intensive training during my PsyD program, provided me with a solid foundation for the variety of clients I see on my caseload and the up to 500 student classes I teach in Clinical Psychology at UCSD. The lessons I learned while contributing to the Sigma Alpha chapter when I was active and as the chapter advisor when I graduated have informed my leadership strategies in the administrative leadership roles I have held and in mentoring undergraduate and graduate students across my career.

What is your greatest professional accomplishment?
I have been blessed, and I have many things I could list as accomplishments I never thought I would achieve. If I had to choose one now, it would have to be when I was awarded the Outstanding Teaching Award in the Humanities, Fine Arts, and Social Sciences- University of California, San Diego, Revelle College.

This award is given to one faculty member based on the graduating class’s vote on the professor they found to be the most outstanding educator. This award was presented to me on the platform stage in front of graduation, and it was presented by a student who has a special place in my heart after she gave a moving speech.

What advice would you give current students or recent graduates interested in pursuing a career in your professional field?
1. Regardless of your career, know your why. If you know your why, the how will become so much easier.

2. Do you! You were created to shine in all your glory and bring that light to the world. You light dimes when you try to copy other people. When you do and do it well, we all win!

3. The key to success in clinical psychology is being authentically in touch with yourself and giving space for your clients to authentically show you who they are.

What is something people may not know about you?
I have lived in nine different states.