I didn’t feel I was good enough to be taken seriously. Female. Person of color. Youngest child. Big family. Small income. The odds weren’t in my favor. There was no one that looked like me who I could model myself after. No resources out there to show me the ropes. No roadmap on how to go from working-class to white-collar class from someone who’d been in my shoes.
Still, by combining every ounce of my curiosity, determination, and grit into new experiences, I eventually made it out of my home in SoCal and into corporate America. Though I had to do everything the hard way...
The hard way is when you have to learn it all on your own, with little guidance. It’s started early on when you worked two jobs to pay for college. Or when you sacrifice your nights and weekends because you’re starting from behind and having to catch up to your peers. Or when you've received all the right education, experience, and proven yourself many times over but told you're still not good enough to move up. Or all of the above! Sometimes I wanted to give up. But I didn’t. And I wouldn’t change a thing because, on this journey, I found not only myself but many more people like me.
I'm a transformation strategist, consultant, and researcher focused on providing solutions to maximize the potential and success of diverse, underrepresented talent. I specialize in working with aspiring & experienced first-gen professionals: people who come from working-class backgrounds and work in white-collar environments.
I shed light on class bias and address barriers that limit career progression for individuals that lack economic, social, and cultural capital. Using intersectional research and expertise of the first generation professional experience, I create solutions, tools, and resources for individuals while partnering with organizations to create more inclusive, productive, and engaged workplaces.
Not everyone understands the unique challenges, obstacles, and unknowns that individuals face when they are the first or only one in their family to move into a different social class and on top of that... be the only minority in the room. So, I created Growing Forward, a talent lab, and research-based skill-building community to help crack the codes of corporate culture and clear the paths for FGPs and underrepresented talent to reach their career goals. I also provide organizations with transformational strategies that develop the talent potential of their diverse workforce and help evolve their talent management practices into pathways to opportunities for high-potential minority talent.
My passion for addressing socioeconomic inequity came from my childhood experience of growing up low-income and helping my Mom, who was illiterate and couldn’t speak English, with finding jobs. Lacking career guidance, mentors, role models, and a safety net, my transition into higher education and the professional world was clunky at best. I’m grateful for my early experience because it gave me a competitive advantage, a desire for continuous learning, and inspired me to achieve more than I ever thought possible.
Us FGPs have so much untapped potential because we don’t know how to overcome our social barriers and manage office politics. If only we had the right tools to showcase our skills in our careers, we’d do better for ourselves, our families, and our societies. Now we do!
I hope you will join me - and us - in stepping powerfully into your potential, owning your talents, and living with greater freedom.
This platform is a resource center for active first-gen talent and organizations looking to diversify their talent pools. We equip them with the tools and support they need to trust their gifts, burst through barriers, and advance their careers. Today’s corporate structures have many unwritten rules and nuances they don’t teach you in school. With over two decades in white-collar settings, we’ve unlocked these special codes and are making them available to you today.
Let's grow forward
Getting pursued by Recruiters & Hiring Managers means better, more consistent job opportunities. We’ve got the goods to get you to that next career level. Join our Growing Forward Community today to get started.
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