I'm currently running a solo practice in San Antonio, TX. I lead with acupuncture and Chinese medicine in my approach to most patients and will incorporate chiropractic care for many NMS conditions. Otherwise, my specialties include digestive health, lifestyle interventions for weight management, anxiety, mental health, and insomnia, along with pain management.

I wanted to have a voice in the realm of healthcare without being behind a prescription pad. I appreciated the sleuthing and quality time that similar practitioners spent in my life and the lives of my family members growing up, and so there was always a desire to play a similar role.

SCU further developed my curiosity and understanding of the benefits and challenges that integrative healthcare faces in today's wellness landscape. I learned to collaborate and was connected to integrative organizations such as AIHM, which have helped me to stay connected beyond graduation. Overall, I would say that being educated at SCU provided me the opportunity to really explore what integrative medicine means through my integrative education experience, and resources were available especially with active intention throughout the five and a half years I was at the university.

My favorite memories [from SCU] were definitely the opportunities around the AIDS Lifecycle, studying abroad in China and Taiwan, and presenting my capstone project at the AIHM poster presentation in San Diego. My favorite classes were the functional medicine selectives, any of the herbal formulation courses, and the management of certain conditions with yoga selective. My favorite instructors is a tough question because I had such an amazing experience with the faculty overall, but I would say that Dr. Jonathan Law, Dr. Coco Cabrel, and Dr. Angela Davidson were particular favorites throughout my experience.

Advice for students and recent graduates: "Wherever you are, be there." There is no time like now to dive into your studies and extracurriculars at full speed while you're a student, and let that momentum guide you in your early days of practice. Creating and running my own practice has been such a rewarding journey. If any student or graduate has the desire to do such a thing, but the desire is clouded by uncertainty, my advice is to seek some guidance from a mentor and take the calculated risk.