Priorities

People should never have to choose between paying for their child’s asthma medicine or affording tonight’s dinner. Healthcare is a human right. I am deeply committed to ensuring everyone has access to the services they need, no matter how much you make.

The foundation of democracy needs to be built on fairness and opportunity. Everyone in our communities; especially the underserved, working families, and immigrants; deserve not only the same chance at a high-quality job, but also the same high-quality healthcare. 

In addition to accepting the $100 billion in federal Medicaid money, I will continue to fight for policies that put our communities’ health and safety before anything else. I fought for this while serving on the Human Services committee, and I will continue to do so in the future. We need to expand coverage to more disabled Texans as well as women with postpartum needs. We should not be cutting funding from Medicaid so it can be redirected to large corporations and private charter schools.

We cannot rebuild our economy without healthy people and communities. Healthcare is a human right.

My mom was always encouraging me to go to school. She taught me the importance of an education and always reminded me how lucky I was to continue learning. Maybe this is because she did not have the chance to learn past the 8th grade. Her one-room schoolhouse did not offer high school-level classes (think “Little House on the Prairie”). But my mom knew that a quality education creates opportunities, and it is because of her that I was lucky enough to receive my entire schooling here in Irving. Now, it is my turn to give back. 

Education is the cornerstone of our communities. Every child should have access to a school and a teacher that makes them feel safe. There should be high-quality education for all children, with enough support for school materials and after school programs. Families should not have to worry about whether or not they have the equipment needed for their children to learn, even if learning has to be done virtually.

We need to restore funding for education and redirect state dollars to better invest in teachers, educators and schools in the public school system. And we need to work to prevent school vouchers, which take away money from public schools. Every child deserves the same quality education.

Many working families in our community are struggling in today’s economy. As a single working mom, a small business owner and a minority with roots deeply grounded in Irving, I know this struggle.

I spent many years as a nonprofit director, overseeing a multitude of programs that help with economic development and small & minority business assistance. I became a lawyer so I could fight for the underserved – for those where the system was failing them.

A friend once reminded me that I helped get his job back, even though his union would not help him because of his race. He told me I listened, and said I wouldn’t stop advocating for him until he got everything he deserved. Today, he is the head of that union. I am just glad to have had the chance to offer the resources and support he needed to succeed.

I will always fight to rebuild Texas’ strong and diverse economy. I will fight for better wages, more jobs, increased access to job skills training, and reducing property taxes so our economy can recover and everyone can begin to thrive again.

House District 105 is a majority-minority district.  About 40 percent of our community is Hispanic-American and another 20 percent is Asian-Indian. Different cultures and nationalities live peacefully together in District 105, and that is something I think the rest of Texas can work to emulate. Texans deserve representation that fights for the rights of everyone. 

But we cannot build bridges if we do not recognize and celebrate the diverse members of our nation. I promise to fight against discrimination in the workplace, in schools, and in every Texan’s day-to-day-life, and champion policies that are inclusive of everyone.

I am here to help every Texan and their families feel welcomed and protected by our community, and I want to inspire all of Texas to do the same. I promise to continue to build bridges and not walls.