Backstory
Cont'd
I grew up as the youngest of four, enveloped in the love of an altruistic, righteous mother and her ten siblings who used humor and Vicks Vapor Rub as cure-alls. Family get-togethers meant forming an assembly line to make Puerto Rican pasteles and laughing through tears at their endless joke-filled recollections, seemingly in competition for the best childhood trauma.
Their disarming way of sharing wisdom through their wounds, finding the courage to be vulnerable and using laughter to develop shame resilience continues to inform my artistic approach. It has ingrained in me the healing power of storytelling.
We lived in Brownsville, Brooklyn--the notorious murder capital of New York--a community more populated than 98.5% of the nation's neighborhoods. It is a place where maintaining a positive outlook requires creativity.
I was the unexpected, straight-A student who loved to draw, write poetry, and spit raps to reflect on, rationalize, and find solutions to the deteriorating world around me. My response to anxiety was to overfunction.
As a child, I was deeply inspired by my father's boundless passion for the arts. He enthusiastically pursued his dream of becoming a professional Salsa Musician and Singer while working as a school janitor. Sadly, he passed away when I was still a teenager. His untimely death taught me the everlasting power of the art we leave behind. Our art is our legacy. It is proof of existence. Art is a force that shapes perspectives and inspires others to see the world differently.
Art also tells us who we are as a democracy, so it must reflect our demographics. This statement holds particular significance for my Latiné community, historically underrepresented in film. My body of work generates parity without trying.
Much of my work uniquely portrays the perspective of an urban American Latiné female as she navigates the complexities of her identity, culture, and surroundings. She is a rare protagonist viewed through the lens of an equally rare director. I continue to hone all of my talents to create meaningful works that promote connection, compassion, and provoke a rethinking of obstacles as opportunities for growth and inner strength.
I firmly believe that inspiration can be found in everyone and everywhere, even between Rockaway and Mother Gaston (the cross streets where I was raised).