Could you tell us a little bit about your educational background?

I graduated with a BA in Psychology from UC Santa Barbara. While at UCSB, I developed a project about how a speaker’s foreign accent affects learning, which was later published. I have also received a Master’s in Clinical Psychology at Cal State Fullerton. Here my major area of interest was children’s temperament. I completed my thesis on children's temperament and computer play, which also was published.

What first got you interested in the healthcare field as a career choice? There are a lot of career options in the field -nursing, physician assistant, etc., what made you decide that genetic counseling was the right practice area/career choice for you?

After getting a Master’s in Clinical Psychology, I completed all the necessary prerequisites and got a license in Marriage and Family Therapy. For the longest time, I worked with a variety of populations at several nonprofit agencies in Los Angeles County as a social worker. My family has several members with hereditary cancer and that sparked my interest in genetics. I already had a background in counseling and decided to combine them together! I completed my science prerequisites at UC San Diego Extension and at a local community college.

What type of obstacles have you had to overcome on the road to getting your education and in particular in pursuing your Genetic Counseling degree?

Coming from an education background in Psychology, it took me a while to get all the science prerequisites down. Furthermore, having my family affected by cancer delayed my journey but also educated me about the profession and the intricacies of genetic counseling.

What are you most looking forward to about beginning your Genetic Counseling studies?

I am fascinated by genetics! I look forward to learning more about the biological aspect of genetic counseling!

What is one fun and interesting fact about you?

My passion is dance! I dance the tango, swing, salsa, and all the styles put together at once!