I have been a care provider  and a member of UDWA for nearly 20 years. I absolutely love what I do, and find happiness in taking care of the elderly and people with disabilities. My clients are not related to me, but I look after them as if they were family, and helping them maintain their independence and stay in their own homes is my number one priority as a care provider and advocate.

I was born and raised in Mexico City and come from a close-knit family whom I view as my most essential safety net. I am a widow and have one son, one daughter, three granddaughters, and one grandson. We all provide for and protect each other, and in my spare time I like to spend time with my grandkids, garden, crochet baby blankets, and collect frog figurines.

I started working for Addus back in 1991 and became a union steward seven years later. More recently I have been very active with UDW: I traveled from Hemet, CA to Los Angeles to protest former Governor Schwarzenegger’s deep cuts to the IHSS program and participated in the rally in Sacramento for the same purpose. I also helped with the letter writing campaign to California legislators and senators, and lobbied in the state’s capital for our union. I strongly believe that we need to work together in order to gain the recognition and respect that we deserve as homecare providers, and to make our voices heard.