Today, I’m sitting with a full heart and a deep sense of pride — I’ve officially been published in the LA Sentinel. As a Black woman, a veteran, and a Master of Social Work student at the University of Southern California, this moment means more than just seeing my name in print. It represents my voice taking up space in conversations that directly impact our communities. My op-ed focuses on the recent “Saving America by Saving the Family” initiative from the The Heritage Foundation — and I...

As a current student in the University of Southern California (USC) Master of Social Work (MSW) program, I’ve been experiencing a lot of growth, learning, and reflection. Graduate school pushes you to think critically, not just about theory and practice, but also about identity, power, and who gets to speak for whom. Recently, I found myself feeling confused. In two different moments in my program, I listened to social work professionals from the Latinx community speak about the Black...

The beginning of my journey starts in Phoenix. I wasn’t raised here. I don’t carry childhood memories of these streets or long family histories rooted in this soil. But Phoenix is where I germinated, where I first began to stretch, question, and grow before being repotted elsewhere. Coming back to this land feels less like returning home and more like visiting the place where the seed cracked open. Hiking Hole in the Rock is deceptively simple. The trail is short, the elevation manageable,...