For as long as I can remember, salud, dinero y amor have shaped how my family survived and moved forward. Health, financial security, and love were never abstract ideas.  Long before I joined AARP, these values grounded my life. Today, after more than a decade of service, they also guide my heartwork.

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Salud became personal through caregiving. For nearly 30 years, I was a long-distance caregiver for my mother, balancing career, family, and constant concern. Caregiving was not a phase. It was a constant in my life. When my mother’s health declined, and she was also diagnosed with dementia, I turned to AARP’s caregiving and brain health resources, not as a leader within the organization, but as a daughter trying to make the best decisions possible with love and dignity. Those resources helped me navigate health care choices, workplace balance, and emotional strain.

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My caregiving experience also reflected a much larger reality; one shared by millions of families navigating caregiving every day. According to the latest AARP research, today, 63 million or 1 in 4 adults in the US are family caregivers. Caregivers are also increasingly diverse, and many experience financial stress, health challenges, and career disruption, and nearly 70% report difficulty balancing work and caregiving responsibilities. The impact is especially pronounced in Latino communities, where caregivers are more likely to reduce work hours or leave the workforce entirely, affecting lifetime earnings and long-term financial security, including Social Security. This is exactly why advocacy is needed.

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AARP fights for caregivers on Capitol Hill and in state houses, pushing for paid leave, workplace protections, and commonsense solutions that will save them time and money. That advocacy matters because caregiving has long term consequences for health and financial stability. But my understanding of financial security financial security began much earlier in life.

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I learned the meaning of dinero early. While I was in college, my mother, a Dominican immigrant and small business owner, ran a bakery on the Upper West Side in New York City, Las Tres Estrellas Bakery. I helped her keep the financial records, track receipts, pay vendors, and talk through hopes for retirement. We did our best with the information we had, relying on instinct, discipline, and each other. What we did not have was access to trusted, culturally relevant financial guidance.

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Looking back, I see how common that experience is. Many Latino families plan for the future without formal tools or support. As AARP research shows, nearly two thirds of Hispanic workers lack access to workplace retirement savings plans, and Social Security often serves as the primary source of income later in life. That is why AARP’s work around financial security matters to me so deeply. Through AARP en Español or AARP.org, families can access clear and practical guidance on budgeting, retirement planning, and Social Security decisions, along with protections against fraud. These resources are designed with cultural context and respect. Financial security should not depend on privilege or proximity to information.

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Amor, in my family, also meant protection. I vividly remember my mother and my aunts receiving scam calls in Spanish, pressured to share personal information or purchase fake travel packages. These moments were frightening and destabilizing. Fraud exploits trust, language, and fear. For Latino families, the emotional toll can be as devastating as the financial loss.

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That is why AARP’s Fraud Watch Network resonates so deeply with me. Available in Spanish and English, it offers free support to help people recognize scams, recover from fraud, and rebuild confidence. It also works with law enforcement and policymakers to strengthen protections for consumers. For families like mine, and so many others, this kind of protection means having somewhere to turn when it matters most.

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My belief in service did not begin at AARP. Throughout my career, I have worked at the intersection of advocacy, community and institutions, including serving as Latino Board Chair on Mayor Richard M Daley’s Commission on Human Relations in Chicago, IL, and Vice Chair on the Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino board. In every role, I focused on building trust looking towards a brighter future to advance the needs and stories of our comunidades.

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Being born and raised in New York City, I am a proud Afro Latina of Dominican heritage. My personal life and professional life have often intertwined. Both are rooted in service, purpose, and community.  

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Those values align closely with the words of AARP founder, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, who said, “For us, it is to serve and not to be served.” At AARP, my role as Vice President of Audience Strategy allows me to bring my lived experience and to be that  ‘wise friend and fierce defender’ to  the Hispanic/Latino communities, people with disabilities, and multigenerational families.

This is my heartwork. And it is why I show up every day to serve.