Life’s mission: My mission is to support, protect and maintain our natural environment through education, horticulture, gardening, and farming. I would love to connect with people!

Occupation: Community coordinator, civil service employee of the City of New York.

Proudest achievement: In 2019, two years after moving to NYC, I was able to pay off my debt and become debt-free. This gave me the freedom to pursue my horticulture studies at New York Botanical Garden.

Expectations for the future: I recently got married during a snowstorm in February, and my husband and I plan on relocating out of Manhattan to pursue our interests in nature, sustainability and minimalism.

Favorite app: Libby—an app that lets you borrow books using your library card.

Favorite website: EarthHero.com—an ecofriendly online marketplace where you can pick from products that are sourced, manufactured, and shipped in a way that protects our planet’s future. They want to make sustainable, earth-friendly commerce the new normal.

Local causes supported: Helping New Yorkers during the Covid-19 crisis and beyond gain access to healthy, local food from farmers markets, farm stands, and growing their own.

Favorite thing about Natural Awakenings: I love the holistic health articles as well as new products I like to try!

Most-frequented healthy-food restaurant: Bamboo Sushi on 1st Avenue—a neighborhood favorite for delicious Japanese food.

Most-frequented businesses: Fitness- and meditation-related businesses, such as Aum Shanti Bookshop and Psychic Tarot Card Readings—I love browsing their crystals. Central Park is a great place to meditate in nature, walk or have a picnic. Bookstores, especially Kinokuniya New York—I like their Japanese products. The New York Public Library Stephen A. Schwarzman Building—it’s my favorite library and also where I got married. I also frequent Uniqlo, Whole Foods and the American Museum of Natural History.

How do you invest in your community? I work for the City of New York and frequently donate or volunteer at GrowNYC and New York Cares.

Favorite quote: “All great changes are preceded by chaos." —Deepak Chopra

What are you doing to be the change you want to see in the world? Educating myself is key. I enjoy learning how to grow my own food, learning about our plants and environment, becoming more sustainable, and protecting/conserving the environment we love!