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a positive voice
Speaking positively.
Empowering communities.
Acting up.
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Advocacy Experience
2011 - Present
Presentations & Panels: 150
Reach: ~6,700
2012 - 2013
Presentations: 42 | Reach: ~1,050
From 2012-2013 I volunteered as a public speaker in NOVAM's (Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry) Face-to-Face program. NOVAM was a nonprofit that provided HIV prevention & awareness services, sexual health education, youth support, client case management, connection to healthcare, free HIV testing and much more.
With NOVAM I presented 42 times at 15 locations, in Northern Virginia. I reached about 1,050 people including social workers, school faculty, grade school students and university students (GMU & Northern VA Community College). My role in their Face-to-Face program was to talk about my life living with HIV after a peer educator's HIV & sex education presentation.
Independent
Public Speaking
2011 - Present
Presentations/Panels: 11 | Reach: ~1,335
In October 2010 I spoke at JMU on Madison Equality's (LGBTQ+ rights student org) "Out on Campus" panel which was for National Coming Out Day.
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My first public disclosure of my HIV status was November 2011 on a panel called "Positively Speaking: My Life with HIV" hosted by the Madison HIV/AIDS Alliance at James Madison University back in 2011. A few years later in 2014 they invited me back JMU to speak on their panel called "Being Positive" for their HIV Awareness Week.
Since 2014 I have spoken on six panels entitled "The Sexually Active Adolescent/Young Adult" for Dr. Charles Samenow's Human Sexuality class at George Washington University.
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I served on the opening plenary session panel entitled "Patient and Community Perspectives", which preceded NIAID NIH Director Anthony Fauci's presentation, at GWU's (School of Medicine) three-day HIV Summit 2017.
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I was on DC's Different Drummers: Capitol Pride Symphonic Band's panel entitled "Alphabet Soup... LGBTQ+ Issues: An Open and Honest Discussion on the Topic for the Music Teacher" at the Maryland Music Educators Association (MMEA) Conference 2018.
So far I have served on a total of 11 panels involving awareness & advocacy for HIV as well as for topics surrounding the LGBTQ+ community. Independently my audience reach has so far been approximately 1,335.
October 2017 - Present
Presentations: 58 | Reach: ~1,554
I joined NovaSalud's Face-to-Face program in October of 2017. NovaSalud is an HIV services nonprofit that does education, prevention, peer support, HIV testing, case management and connection-to-care. They work with the wider Northern Virginia community while specializing in work with the latino community.
So far I have presented approximately 38 times at a few public schools in Arlington, Virginia. I have reached about 1,100 students and faculty.
For the Face-to-Face program the students first receive a separate HIV & sex education 101 powerpoint presentation provided to the teachers by NovaSalud. Then the following day I come in to the classes to talk about my life living with HIV and provide further sex education. I give my presentations in either Spanish or English depending on the class.
Affiliated Organizations
Present
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DC's Different Drummers
2017 - Present
Member, Inclusivity Advisory Committee
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Virginia Coalition for Sex Ed Reform
2018 - Present
Co-Founder & Volunteer
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Virginia Ryan White Quality Management Advisory Committee
2019 - Present
Member, Virginia Consumer Advisory Committee
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Past
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DC Center for AIDS Research (DC CFAR)
2018 - 2020
Member, Community Advisory Board​
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Whitman-Walker Health
2018 - 2020
Member, Community Advisory Board
Spreading the Word
DC Walk To End HIV 2014
Whitman-Walker Health
A vlog of me and my dad on the Walk to End HIV (formerly AIDS Walk Washington) as well as information on the walk and Whitman-Walker Health towards the end of the video (1:57). We raised $300 for the walk thanks to family and friends.
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