Before I created the diabetes club on the Cal State Long Beach campus, in Fall of 2021 I created the initiative for sharps containers to be inserted in the university student restrooms, which are constantly populated on campus. Although the idea was accepted and given support by executives in the university student union in October that year...

My story of being discriminated against for having diabetes didn’t stop after earning my Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering from Massachusetts Maritime Academy or changing United States Coast Guard regulations to allow me to go out to sea on merchant ships. The next chapter sounds more like a Ben Affleck movie in the underbelly of Boston.

As an advocate for change, it’s always important to acknowledge the barriers, hardships and difficult conversations encountered within the field. Before I was an advocate, I had to go through different experiences of trials and tribulations with my care team in both the diabetes sector and the general hospital care.