I’ve been passionate about nature my entire life. As a child, I grew up in the small town of Twentynine Palms with Joshua Tree National Park right next door. Here, I had an entire desert as my playground to explore. With such grand terrain for adventure, my parents had a challenging time keeping me inside no matter how hard they tried. They’d commonly find me walking along fields collecting rocks, catching lizards or watching the sunset sky turn the mountains every shade of purple.

I loved adventure and learning about new places even though I was often surrounded by limiting messages telling me “girls can’t do that” or “black people don’t do that”. In the absence of seeing people who looked like me doing the activities I wanted to try, I decided to never let that stop me from going after what I loved; even if that meant teaching myself or doing it alone.  At a young age, I was already pulled on a powerful mission.

In early adulthood I made it a priority to see as much of the world as possible. It didn’t matter the landscape: deserts, rainforests or jungles, volcanoes or mountains, forests, coral reefs, rivers, beaches, lakes; from under the sea to the top of a summit, I loved it all and still do. Today, I enjoy solo hiking, adventuring and traveling because it allows me to explore on my own terms and to be fully present with my outdoor experience.

To support my safe adventures I have wilderness survival and first aid training. This advanced training helps me share my passion for exploring the outdoors with others and to encourage them to see new places and appreciate the beauty in nature. In addition to being a guide for Fjallraven, I am an enthusiastic hike leader for Black Girls Trekkin, whose mission is to promote diversity, inclusion, conservation and education in the outdoors. I actively advocate for representation, specifically out in nature and in the outdoor industry. Nature should be accessible and safe for everyone to enjoy.

Nature and the outdoors bring joy, connection and peace to my life. I love embarking on new adventures because I believe experiences and memories are the most valuable things we can collect. Sharing my love of both nature and self-defense with others is important to me because when we are empowered to live our lives confidently and freely, there is no limit to what we can do.