WHO I AM
I grew up in a very modest home in Colorado Springs with my parents and extended family. My father was from Guam and my mother was from Puerto Rico, both came to Colorado to find opportunities and to raise our family in a place that could give us even more opportunity to succeed.
My parents worked hard. My father served in the Army for 26 years and my mother worked jobs ranging from stocking shelves to working as a unionized meat-cutter. They always taught me to work hard, be respectful of others, and that service to our community was the most impactful thing someone can do with their life.
As a teenager I decided that I wanted to go to the Air Force Academy and I worked toward that goal with a passion. I was accepted and after graduating I became an intelligence officer in the Air Force where I deployed overseas 4 times before leaving active duty to pursue a law degree using the GI Bill. I am incredibly thankful for the opportunities that I have had and will always remember the sacrifices and support from others that helped me throughout my journey.
After completing law school my wife and family moved to Lowry where we immediately fell in love with the community and the wonderful people in Denver. Since then I have practiced law, continued to serve in the Air Force Reserve, and raised our two amazing children with my incredible wife.
As a kid I was not very interested in politics, but once I moved to Denver I found an incredible community within the Denver Democrats. I began my activism by helping our local candidates knocking on doors and helping the Denver Dems raise money to talk to voters. It was inspiring to talk to voters and hear their concerns. There are so many things that our legislature can do to help regular Coloradans and after being approached by community members in our district encouraging me to run for office I decided to do so.
Why I’m Running
From growing up in a working-class household to seeing abject poverty and desperation overseas on deployment, I have always believed that everyone can do more to help people. I have always tried to live out that value, whether through activism in the Democratic Party, mentoring teenagers who want to enter public service, or by direct action in my community.
I believe that the Colorado State Legislature can also do more to help people in our great state. Too many politicians have lost focus of why they were elected to the legislature and instead grandstand their personal politics instead of representing their district. Good policy comes from working with people and building a coalition, something I have done my entire life.
When I see inaction on things like climate change, improving our public schools, or solving our housing and homelessness crisis I believe we need new faces in the State House to cut through this logjam. I strongly feel that this is only possible when we work together with our Democratic majority to find the best solution for our community. The stakes are too high for our state, we need people in office who will fight for real solutions to the problems facing the people of Colorado. I hope you will join our campaign and fight for the values that our community cherishes so much.
