Twenty-something years ago, I was an eight-year-old fresh from Italy and Eritrea, missing my family and cultures. I am hoping to share everything my East African, Italian and Irish family have taught me about hard work, community, open hearts and open minds.

I learned from my father, who built his Saint Paul small business literally from scratch – with a little teff flour, some yeast, warm water and a pinch of salt. After just the right batter was developed, dad used his mechanical engineering savvy to design a rotating hot plate that would allow the mass production of Injera and Hambasha, the daily breads of East African families. This is just one of the many examples of how my amazing family has shown me what you can accomplish with hard work and patience.

They also have shown me what it means to find home. As someone who has navigated multiple countries, multiple cultures, and multiple languages to find home, I feel uniquely qualified to help you do the same.

As an airline gate agent, I learned how to problem-solve around time crunches, complex schedules, and family needs. As a cellular phone expert, I help clients with everything from how to set-up their devices to how to access international services or even online accounts. Eleven years of customer support has taught me to expand, not narrow, my definition of service.

These are the values I bring: an appreciation of what it means to work hard, the flexibility to problem solve, and finally, a deep understanding of home.