About me

I have a fairly eclectic background, being someone who moved between several NYC neighborhoods (Harlem, Washington Heights, The Bronx) and spent my summers in the Dominican Republic, and I consider myself a very well rounded person because of that. I am currently pursuing a degree in nursing, which will continue the long path I’ve been on involving helping and caring for others. As my father was a doctor in the Dominican Republic, he would often explain to my siblings and I how operatic the human body was, and as a child, I absorbed all of it easily. This helped cultivate the scientific intrigue I had with the medical world, and it married perfectly with my desire to care for people who needed it. I currently live in the Bronx, where I have lived since I was 8 years old. I am a twin, although I have 6 siblings in total. I grew up surrounded by people, both in my community, which was rich in diversity and culture, and in my own home. I learned to care for others at a young age, whether it was supervising my little cousins during family gatherings and making sure no one got into any quarrels, or helping my father with his daily physical therapy. This was not something that was explicitly expected of me, or a burden, they were responsibilities that were built into the frame of my life, and the work was shared by myself and close family.

I began working closer with children when volunteering at an after school program during my years of High School. Since then, I have obtained over six years of childcare experience. My experience ranges from overseeing a number of children in a daycare setting to caring for children in their homes. I identified as a “baby whisperer” at the daycare I was once a substitute teacher in, due to my innate skill to stabilize the infant room. I also assisted in the toddler and pre-K classes. Although I built many strong bonding relationships in the daycare setting, I needed a flexible schedule to suit my college classes, which resulted in becoming an in home caregiver.

As a caregiver, I have worked with a wide variety of age groups from infants as young as one month old to children up to twelve years old. I have become well equipped to handle a variety of circumstances and situations that may arise. I’ve experienced the full spectrum of early and late childhood. I have cared for groups of siblings, all ranging in age, meaning their schedules, interests, and routines were very different. I have cared for children who have lifestyles and needs much different than what I was familiar with, like children with Autism, children who speak children as a second language, children that have allergies, or who observe specific diets. Additionally, I have been responsible for things such as meal preparation, baths, diaper change, potty training, commutes, arranging play activity, dressing for the day or night, reading, and helping children with their homework. I am also CPR certified and am fluent in Spanish.

This wide range of experience has equipped me to be ready for any circumstance that may come my way, and allowed me to realize that I will not always have a plan that will fit the circumstances, but I consider myself an expert at navigating unfamiliar terrain with confidence. I think transparency is extremely important when taking care of children, both between the parents and the children themselves. I know that if I ever feel unsure, the best thing to do is simply ask to clarify any uncertainty, confusion, or misguidance. This allows for everyone involved to feel a better sense of ease that I believe makes for overall better interactions.

Over the years, thanks to the support of the families I work with and my ongoing commitment to the actual work, I consider myself a reliable, responsible, hard working, and trustworthy person. The traits that I am well known and respected for have been built through lessons and moments of humility. I not only enjoy my work, but I find it rewarding and important. Caring for children has made be a better person and has strengthened by own personal relationships because I am a more effective communicator, patient, and empathetic. But ultimately, the value in children is not simply rooted in their innocence, or because they are reflective of our demographic future. Children are important simply because they, like us, are people. I feel solace knowing I help make little moments in every day easier for families.

Being a caregiver has provided me with a great deal of gratitude, and with that I have found a refreshing source of happiness. The work that I’ve done and continue to do is not easy but I value domestic work such as caring for children because our future depends on it. The late Toni Morrison is widely regarded for her many powerful quotes, and the one that sticks out the most to me is “your real job is that if you are free, you need to free someone else. If you have power, you need to empower someone else,”. I carry these words in my mind everyday, everywhere I go. When I am with children, it rings especially true. The best way for me to empower the children I work with is to be empathetic and encouraging.