I was born in Guatemala and emigrated to the United States at age 4 with my pregnant mother. I grew up in San Francisco's Mission district and attended public school throughout my youth. I did not have an easy life. It was filled with disappointments, domestic violence and trauma.  I witnessed things no child should ever have to see, experienced the loss of my innocence, but I survived. When I found CHALK at the age of 18 I was college bound with no real direction.  I began working at Youthline and found something I was great at! It seemed to me that my experiences from childhood  helped me develop a keen insight and an ability to connect with others deep feelings.  Working with youth gave me time to reflect on my own life and pull from my experiences to help others see that they were not alone.  I have been working in the youth development field for 10 years now and believe that this is where my greatest purpose lays, however, I am a multifaceted person with many aspirations and dreams.  I am no longer a shy and withdrawn girl held back by her traumatic life, I am a survivor with a lifetime of opportunities that await me each day - this is what I hope to pass on to the youth I work with.