In the process of becoming Acción Latina’s next leader, I had to miss my final interview — my dad had a stroke.
As the only daughter in a family of five, I dropped everything and drove back home to Modesto to help prepare for my father’s last days. He was already very sick. Alzheimer’s had sparked a slow, steady decline.
On February 21, I was offered the role. I knew I would say yes.
My father’s life was full of struggle. Some of it was self-inflicted — but much of it was shaped by the harsh realities of being an immigrant in this country. As I sat with the weight of everything he carried, I realized that I had the opportunity to step into a role that could create change for people like him.
Just hours later, before midnight, he passed away, surrounded by our tight-knit family.
It’s this reality — the quiet grief and daily resilience of our community — that grounds me in this work and fuels my commitment to Acción Latina’s mission: to defend, inform and uplift working-class, immigrant families like mine.
These communities deserve to have their stories told — in the El Tecolote newspaper, on the walls of the Juan R. Fuentes gallery, at Encuentro’s concert stage and during the Paseo Artistico arts walk — especially at a time when we are facing mounting political and cultural attacks.
I’m taking on this role after years of working to advance equity and economic justice. Most recently, I served as the proud publisher of the fiercely independent 48Hills newsroom. Before that, I worked as a legislative aide at San Francisco City Hall and organized on the ground — most notably for the Student Success Fund, a city initiative that brought critical resources into public schools serving our community’s most vulnerable children.
For me, coming to Acción Latina is also a full-circle moment.
My parents built their lives here in the Bay Area, and the Mission District is where they found their first sense of community — the same neighborhoods and people who helped us find belonging. Taking on this role feels like a way to pay that forward.
If I had to name one goal for my time as Acción Latina’s director, it would be this:
To make sure San Francisco’s Latino communities are not just seen — but heard, resourced and defended through bold journalism and vibrant cultural work.
My father gave me that vision. And I know he would be proud.