I didn't grow up planning to run for office. I grew up watching my community work hard, build businesses, raise families, and give back — often without recognition, and often without a voice at the tables where decisions about our future were being made. Over the years, through my work investigating fraud, helping families navigate real estate and legal matters, and advocating for human rights both here and abroad, I saw the same pattern everywhere: people who did everything right still felt unheard. Systems that were supposed to serve people instead left them waiting, guessing, or shut out entirely. I kept thinking: someone needs to step up. Eventually, I stopped waiting for that someone to be someone else.