Originally from Hawaii, I grew up on an orange farm. Wanting something different, I attended Bowdoin College in Maine. My mother is from Japan, and after college, I lived and worked there. I then attended the University of Chicago Law School. After, I moved to New York City to practice law before making a career switch to the nonprofit sector. Most recently, I worked at an anti-poverty foundation that funded the rural health clinic I used growing up. 

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In 2023, my father, who was BRCA+, died of cancer. Through the Jewish Board, which supports all New Yorkers, I joined a parental loss grief group. The people in it have become among my closest friends. 

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Since testing BRCA+ myself, I have had risk-reducing medical care. I also volunteer with FORCE and Sharsheret. Through FORCE, which stands for Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered, I advocate for legal protections for those with gene mutations. Through Sharsheret, which supports all those facing breast and ovarian cancer, I am a peer supporter.