Born and raised in Yonkers, NY my journey has been one of hard work, determination, and courage to persevere. My accomplishments are thanks in large part to my family. With modest means, my parents made tremendous sacrifices so that my sister, Carolina, and I could have better opportunities. My paternal grandparents came to this country from Italy in the early 1900’s arriving on Ellis Island. My father was born in Yonkers in 1929 and his family struggled through the Great Depression. He often told how as a young boy he would help his father shine shoes on the steps of Yonkers City Hall for the attorneys and politicians. Sadly, my father passed away, but I know he is smiling down on me to see how far we have come since his days on the steps of City Hall. My mother was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, the youngest of 16 children. In 1973, the stars aligned, and my favorite love story began as she and my father boarded the same cruise ship leaving out of Miami. Although neither spoke the other’s language, fate brought them together and they fell in love. After some time writing letters and traveling to meet each other’s families, they were married, and my mother left Venezuela and moved to New York. My father was a maintenance worker at Hudson View Nursing Home in Yonkers and was a proud member of the 1199SEIU Union while my mother stayed at home raising me and my sister. Although she learned English, my mother spoke only Spanish to us. Being raised bilingual was one of the greatest gifts she could give us and has proved invaluable in my life and career. When we were old enough, my mother entered the workforce, retiring from a career with Hudson Valley Bank. Our family regularly traveled to Venezuela over the summer and usually spent a month there during the Christmas holidays. My mother always recognized the importance of passing down our Hispanic heritage to us and has made every effort to do so throughout her life.

My father was an avid roller skater and ice skater and was instrumental in the opening of E.J. Murray’s Memorial Skating Center in Yonkers. He worked there part time as a rink attendant and instructor and shared his passion for skating with me and my sister. From an early age we were on the ice, spending most of our time practicing and we both became accomplished figure skaters. In 1992, I started skating pairs and moved my training to Sport-O-Rama in Spring Valley, NY, training with National, World, and Olympic level coaches and competitors. Two memorable highlights of my skating career were performing at the Lighting of the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center and at the Opening Ceremonies of the Figure Skating Special Olympics. I attribute much of my success to the strength, determination and commitment I learned as a competitive figure skater. Figure skating continues to be a part of my life, and you can still find me at Murray’s rink teaching others to skate, and even making time to skate myself.  

I attended Yonkers public school and was in 2nd grade when the school district was integrated. As a result, my childhood was enriched by interacting with children of different social, cultural and economic backgrounds leading to my having a diverse group of friends and broadened view of the world. I was fortunate to have friends of many diverse cultures and backgrounds as I attended PS 16, Emerson Junior High School and Gorton High School from which I graduated. Following the example set by my parents, I started working as soon as I was able to obtain working papers serving as a cashier and deli attendant at Barca Bros. Supermarket on Palisade Avenue in Yonkers. Following my competitive figure skating career, I began to teach skating at the local rinks including E.J Murrays, Westchester Skating Academy in Elmsford, The Ice Hutch in Mount Vernon and Rockefeller Center. Additionally, I worked as a nanny for a wonderful family in Pelham Manor for many years.   

Our family’s financial circumstances did not allow for me to go away to college. Fortunately, living in New York there are many excellent local options, and I chose to commute to Manhattan College in Riverdale, NY. I majored in Sociology to pursue my long-standing interest in society and human nature. I have always been cognizant of issues affecting our society and guided by a passion to serve the public. I also minored in Spanish as I knew that with a good education and the ability to speak Spanish, I could help a large, underrepresented segment of the population.  All of this experience, and the desire to serve, eventually led me to attend law school. Upon graduation from Pace Law School in 2003, my legal career began at the Pace Women’s Justice Center as an attorney representing survivors of domestic violence with family law issues. Many of my clients were Hispanic so my ability to speak Spanish was a huge asset providing comfort to individuals by being able to communicate our legal processes in their own language.  

For the past 17 years I have worked as a Court Attorney for a Family Court Judge in the Westchester County Family Court System having the privilege of helping and guiding members of our community who appear in Family Court. Working beside Family Court judges, I assist and advise on all Family Court issues including custody, visitation, family offenses, child abuse and neglect, juvenile delinquency, guardianship, special immigrant juvenile status and adoptions. I also conduct status, settlement, and pre-trial conferences with attorneys and litigants to evaluate issues and reach amicable resolutions.

In 2019, I was elected as Town Justice for my hometown of Cortlandt, NY. I am proud to be the first Hispanic elected official in the Town. As Town Justice, I preside over criminal and civil cases, handle off-hour arraignments, and supervise the administrative duties of the courts. During my term, I established the Town’s first Night Court to provide litigants greater access to the justice system, which has been well received by the community. This past year in 2023, I ran unopposed for my second term, a testament to my judicial temperament and demeanor which are essential qualities for a judge, especially when dealing with the sensitive issues involved in Family Court.    

Becoming Family Court Judge has been my dream, and I am very proud of the work I have done in my career to allow me this opportunity.  As the daughter of a Venezuelan immigrant, it is also an honor to be a strong representative attorney and jurist in Westchester County.     

In addition to being a full time Court Attorney, and part-time Town Justice my family is my first priority; my three children, Gisela (16), Larena (14) and Landon (10), and of course our loyal German Shepard, Nikai. We reside in Cortlandt, and the children attend Lakeland Central Schools. As my father did for me, I also passed on my passion for skating to my children. To my great pleasure, Gisela and Larena are figure skaters and compete on a nationally ranked synchronized skating team, while Landon plays hockey for the Westchester Vipers.

I am a lifelong Westchester County resident. My mother still lives in Yonkers in the house where I was raised. My sister is a teacher at PEARLS Hawthorne school in Yonkers and also resides in Yonkers with her husband, Nelson Carreira and my nieces, Isabella and Elianna.

Many of the families and children appearing in Family Court are in crisis. Informed and guided by my background, I am keenly aware of the responsibility to show compassion while being able to conduct proper legal analysis of these difficult cases. With your support, I hope to utilize my proven skills and experience to make a difference in the lives of those who appear in Westchester County Family Court.