Curiosity and creativity have always been my companions, both as a learner and a teacher. But my love for helping people discover what makes them come alive began much earlier.​

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I credit my mother for that.

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After we moved from Panama to several U.S. Army bases, my mom had one rule: no idle summers. While my brothers and I would have happily spent our days playing video games and sleeping in, she encouraged us to get involved in our community.​​

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That work could be energizing, even joyful!

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One summer, I volunteered at the front desk of a military base's fitness center. I wasn't just handing out towels or signing people up for classes. I was meeting people from all over the world, listening to their stories, and helping them find what they needed.

I loved it so much that I didn't want to go home at the end of the day.

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Little did I know that this discovery would shape my life and career: Meaningful connection through service.​

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​By the end of that summer, I'd volunteered more hours than most of the staff had worked. Years later, that same supervisor remembered the impact I'd made, not just through what I did, but through how I made people feel.

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That experience taught me something I've carried into every role since: Work can be more than something we do. It can be a place where we connect, contribute, grow, and come alive.