I know what it feels like to be priced out of an education. Years ago, I had to drop out of college because I simply couldn’t afford to live in Los Angeles. Tuition wasn’t the problem; rent was. What still hurts is knowing that UCHA existed back then, and I was unaware of it. If I had, my life might have taken a different path.
That experience has shaped everything I do today. As Director of the University Cooperative Housing Association, I don’t see my job as managing a building or enforcing policies. For me, this work is personal. I’m here to make sure no student has to leave school the way I did, not because they lacked ability or motivation, but because they couldn’t afford a safe place to live.
At UCHA, students don’t just live together; they build something together, they cook meals, clean shared spaces, staff security, help with mail, and take part in decisions that shape the co-op. When everyone contributes, costs stay low, but something more important happens too: people start caring for one another. The atmosphere shifts from competition to cooperation, and a community forms.
Every student who walks through our doors is carrying something: pressure, loneliness, financial strain, fear of not fitting in. I’ve been there, which is why I make a point to welcome them, to listen, and to let them know they’re not alone. If this co-op had been in my life years ago, I might have stayed in school. Now, I’m making sure other students get the chance I didn’t.
My goal is simple: to keep this place affordable, welcoming, and alive with the spirit of students supporting students. I want every resident to feel that this co-op is not just somewhere they stay, but somewhere they belong. If I can prevent even one student from giving up on their education because of housing costs, then I know I’m doing the work I was meant to do.
That experience has shaped everything I do today. As Director of the University Cooperative Housing Association, I don’t see my job as managing a building or enforcing policies. For me, this work is personal. I’m here to make sure no student has to leave school the way I did, not because they lacked ability or motivation, but because they couldn’t afford a safe place to live.
At UCHA, students don’t just live together; they build something together, they cook meals, clean shared spaces, staff security, help with mail, and take part in decisions that shape the co-op. When everyone contributes, costs stay low, but something more important happens too: people start caring for one another. The atmosphere shifts from competition to cooperation, and a community forms.
Every student who walks through our doors is carrying something: pressure, loneliness, financial strain, fear of not fitting in. I’ve been there, which is why I make a point to welcome them, to listen, and to let them know they’re not alone. If this co-op had been in my life years ago, I might have stayed in school. Now, I’m making sure other students get the chance I didn’t.
My goal is simple: to keep this place affordable, welcoming, and alive with the spirit of students supporting students. I want every resident to feel that this co-op is not just somewhere they stay, but somewhere they belong. If I can prevent even one student from giving up on their education because of housing costs, then I know I’m doing the work I was meant to do.
