I grew up in Iowa Colony, Texas. A small town 30 minutes south of Houston with nothing but farmland and rice paddies. When I was younger, I loved running around all 14 acres and watching the livestock we had. As an adult I can appreciate the small-town living. It made trips into the city of Houston more special, one of my favorite early memories is going to watch the Astros play with my parents while eating ice cream out of a helmet bowl. My parents were absolutely my biggest influence growing up. In real time I was able to watch them come to the United States, buy the land they had always dreamed of, started a business and do well in their careers. Neither of my parents had gone to college so they always stressed the importance of education and as a first-generation Latina I was the first in my family to graduate college. I went to Alvin Community College and then transferred to the University of Houston and received a Bachelor of Science in Health, emphasis in Promotion and minored in Human Nutrition and Foods.