Diversity Advisory Committee Member, 2017-2018

The Tempe Union High School Community Diversity Advisory Committee is comprised of persons who have an interest in ensuring that the students of the district receive an equitable education and realize positive social experiences. They are charged with offering beneficial suggestions and advice in support of the school district’s diversity and inclusion strategic plan. The members act collectively in addressing the diversity-related issues that are relevant to those who make up and are represented within the district’s school communities.

Candidate, 2016

I was a candidate for the Kyrene School District Governing Board, and although I was not elected to office, the opportunity to meet the families and children of Kyrene, build new relationships with educators and the Kyrene School District was invaluable! As a candidate, I oversaw my campaign, including voter outreach, fundraising, volunteer recruitment, and messaging. I consider it extremely important to be well-informed on the issues, and so, I attended all board meetings over the course of a year prior to running, attended Arizona Education Association training, and met with parents, educators, and constituents to hear from them on the issues. There is nothing like running for office to gain a new skill set!

Member, 2015-2016

The General Plan is a strategic document that guides city growth and development. It contains maps, goals, objectives and policies that are used to coordinate and implement land use decisions, which in turn impact infrastructure, traffic, parks/recreation, open space, city services, housing supply and affordability as well as public resources.

As a member of the General Plan Update Committee, I attended all meetings, reached out to community members to inform them of the process, and provided feedback on the General Plan. The plan was overwhelmingly adopted.

Big, 2013-2018

Big Brothers Big Sisters’ mission is to provide Arizona youth facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better. As a Big Sister, I was a mentor, confidant, tutor, cheerleader, life coach, and friend. I met with my Little once per week. Some of the activities included: taking her to see her first ballet, Broadway theater production, and hike! I assisted with homework, took her on college tours and lectures in addition to visiting local area businesses. I explored every resource to find low-cost events, often getting donated tickets through BBBS or simply asking (a local area business was kind enough to provide a tumbling scholarship when my Little wanted to try out for cheerleading). I was honored with the Big Thanks award in 2008, awarded to exemplary Bigs, and was nominated for Big of the year in 2011. I was matched until my Little aged out and we remain in touch.

Fast Pitch Mentor, 2014

The SVP Arizona Fast Pitch is a free two-month training and mentoring program for innovative non-profits that are effecting social change in Maricopa County, culminating in the Fast Pitch competition. I met with my mentee weekly to provide presentation feedback, coaching and mentorship. The pitch went on to win the student competition.

Social Media & Hospitality Volunteer, 2008-2013

Faith Christian Center (FCC) is a friendly, Bible teaching, multicultural family church that impacts the valley of the sun with the love of God. After bouncing around to several churches, I began attending FCC in 2008, I became a member in 2009. Shortly after joining, I drafted a proposal to begin a new Ministry to impact the community and our membership through Social Media. I worked with a team of technical volunteers to craft the strategy, write procedural manuals and rules of engagement, train staff and launch the Faith Christian Center Social Media Ministry in 2010. I was a member of the Hospitality Team, who ensured that all visitors and members felt the love of God through a welcoming atmosphere.

Archives Volunteer, 2008-2009

The Phoenix Museum of History closed in June of 2009 due to budget cuts. It served as a historical record keeper for the city of Phoenix, containing many artifacts that dated back to the founding of the city, serving over 20,000 patrons each year. I volunteered twice a month for 4 hours every other Saturday because I love history and think that it is important to maintain records for posterity’s sake. During the time that I volunteered for the museum, I created documentation of museum processes for the archival database, procured and installed new CPUs to upgrade infrastructure, assisted with museum events and helped process acquisitions, performed metadata coding and tagging and for collections and assisted in preservation of paper and photographic media.

Charter Member, Phoenix Chapter, 2011-2015

The mission of Black Girls RUN! is to encourage African-American women to make fitness and healthy living a priority. It was launched by 2 friends in 2009 and has grown to have chapters in many cities across the nation. I have been a runner since I was in the 7th grade, so when a friend of mine needed a partner to help hold her accountable, I said why not! Together in 2011, we became the charter members of Black Girls Run! Phoenix and in the short time our club has existed, we now have over 60 members! We meet weekly to run. I was the pace setter, meaning, I was the rabbit whom everyone tried to catch. My role is to motivate by posting, showing up to the runs and participating in events. I love seeing women go from being a walker, to a jogger to a runner, when they never thought they could, it is empowering!

Instructor, 2005-2007

Junior Achievement (JA) is the world’s largest organization dedicated to educating students about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs. I was trained as an instructor in the 5th grade curriculum and taught in 2005, 2006 and 2007. As an instructor, delivered the JA curriculum while managing a classroom full of rowdy 5th graders; engaging them in learning about ethics, economics, supply chain, and financial literacy. The letters of thanks that I received from the children were so precious. I still have them to this day.

Performer, 2006,2008,2010,2011

The Intel Variety Show was an annual fundraiser put on by employees to showcase their talents while raising funds for a local charity. Some of the recipients have been: Improving Chandler Area Neighborhoods, Harvest for Humanity, the Girl’s Leadership Academy of Arizona and Sacaton Middle School to name a few. In the years that I participated, I was recognized for having the top ticket sales, one year selling over 80 tickets. The performance groups that I put together included a song and dance trio, quartet and a full band. Auditions are held for the shows, so each act must be well-polished and professional in order to be selected to perform. I was responsible for coordinating practices, song selection and choreography. All employee hours were tracked and hours spent preparing for the show translated to matching funds from the Intel Foundation toward the charity of choice.