After 15 years in the service industry, I decided to get my real estate license - partially due to my ever-increasing interest in land, architecture and urban development but also because I had tried and been met by a brick wall many times to purchase a home, land - something I could call my own and pour my soul into.

The trauma of displacement - something many of us carry - longs for us to put down roots, to feel secure and held by our surroundings. The various manifestations of housing insecurity have an indisputable effect on our mental health, physical well-being,  and our ability to be in relationship and community.

A lifetime in Albuquerque has shown me our strengths as well as our weaknesses. We look at cities like Austin, San Francisco and Denver to see what happens when "growth" is allowed or encouraged at the expense of sustainability and daily life. Albuquerque has not yet reached that turning point and retains ample potential for creative development. I aim to be an agent in resisting the forces that put our home at risk and promoting those that create an environment where we may all have the option to thrive.