APPOINTED VICE PRESIDENT OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

I still remember getting the first email about the Real Estate Association being founded at Santa Monica College.

At the time, I had only recently moved to Los Angeles and was still trying to understand the city, the industry, and where I fit within all of it. But the moment I saw the opportunity to be part of something connected to real estate, I applied immediately.

Around the same time, I had started applying to programs like Project Destined and had just created my real estate Instagram. That period became the beginning of something much bigger than I realized at the time. What started as curiosity quickly turned into a serious passion for the industry.

Not long after, I found myself on an interview call with Andy, still slightly confused by how quickly my life was changing. A few months earlier, my world looked completely different. Now I was suddenly stepping into conversations, events, and environments connected to an industry I had become deeply interested in.

Shortly after, I was appointed Vice President of External Affairs as part of the founding board.

The role quickly became much bigger than I expected. I began reaching out to brokers, coordinating with professionals, organizing speakers, helping host events, and building relationships with people actively working across the Los Angeles real estate industry.

That experience completely changed my understanding of how the business operates.

Real estate is deeply relationship-driven. So much of it comes down to communication, reputation, trust, and the ability to build meaningful connections over time. Being part of the association gave me exposure to conversations and environments that expanded my understanding of the industry far beyond what I had expected when I first moved to Los Angeles.

Joining the Real Estate Association became one of the defining parts of my first year in Los Angeles. It gave direction to an interest that was still very new at the time and turned it into something I became fully invested in building long term.