I’m a proud Tejana but even prouder to have been born and brewed in San Antonio. I feel a kinship to San Antonio and her personality. She’s synonymous with family, friends and the way we live our lives. She is home. My ride-or-die. When you truly meet, spend some time with and understand San Anto, it’s easy to fall in love. With the food, drink, festivals, music, art and dance – we know how to celebrate life. We value family, culture and authenticity. We are quick to sniff out when something’s not quite right. In that way and others, San Anto is a big city that acts like a small town. Which I love (most of the time). If you’re out and start up a conversation with a stranger, someone you know will know someone they know and next thing you know y’all are old friends.

Though we have some way to go in unifying our voices, bridging our gaps and breaking old habits, each generation proves that we carry the best traditions forward and are necios about proving our points and trying new things.

As an artist, nonprofit worker, educator and daughter of Tejanos who was raised, educated, and works in the 210, I feel a duty to carry my weight, use my voice and offer what I can to improve our quality of life. As a town rich with creative talent we must cultivate and nurture it. As a city of hospitality and community-love we must raise support for good causes and invite collaboration. As a city on the rise who has taken the time and effort to identify our shortcomings and barriers, we owe it to our future and future generations to challenge the status quo, fix what’s broken and empower each other.

All that I hold important, my mix of tastes and styles, my talents and skills, my spanglish, my cariño and hospitality as well as my laundry list of goals and struggles, I share with San Anto as she shared them with me. San Antonio is a curandera for her people; one must be patient to learn her language and lessons, then be ready to give back.