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Born in California and raised in Portland, Oregon, I now enjoy meshing my west coast influences with the hustle and bustle of New York. At the age of four, my parents enrolled me in gymnastics classes as an outlet for my abundance of energy. I immediately fell in love with the sport, and proceeded to stay involved in it through the age of 21. After competing at the Junior Olympic level as a Level 10 gymnast for several years, I went on to compete for the University of California Berkeley’s Division I Women’s Gymnastics team. Upon receiving my Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health from Cal in 2000, I moved to San Diego to attend law school at the University of San Diego School of Law. This educational endeavor brought me to New York in August 2003, where I finished law school at Benjamin-Cardozo School of Law, and received my Juris Doctorate in December 2004.

Back in 2001, while still in San Diego, and no longer having the influence of competitive gymnastics in my life, I resumed taking hip-hop and jazz classes. I continued these styles of dance after moving to New York, but eventually left that scene in order to get involved in Salsa. I spent all of 2005 learning to dance On 1 at Salsa International, before making the switch to dancing On 2 at the same company. Early in 2006, a good friend brought me over to Piel Canela, telling me that Piel Canela would be the best place to hone my On 2 skills. After a few months of classes with Joe, I joined the Recital Team; an experience that culminated in a performance at the 2006 Piel Canela Anniversary Social. Performing immediately hit the spot for me. I love feeling the energy of the group on stage together, as well as the thrill of stepping away from my quieter personality while performing.

"I look forward to joining in Piel Canela's effort towards taking Que Rico Mambo on the road!"