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What is your favorite aspect of your job at the FCC?

I love many aspects of my job, including the smart, fun, and kind people I work with, the nature of the work, and the work-life balance.

But my favorite part is my role crafting regulations concerning policy issues that have a broad impact on the public. Since joining the FCC, I’ve had the opportunity to work on proceedings that advance Internet neutrality, provide phone service protections for domestic violence survivors, deter fraudulent account takeovers for cell phone customers, and promote competition among communications service providers.

My work is framed by the authority granted to the FCC by Congress, the policy goals of the agency’s leadership, and the input we receive from stakeholders and the public, but I have a direct role in developing agency policies, and I get to see my contributions in decisions adopted by the Commission and codified in the Code of Federal Regulations.

You serve on the Federal Communications Bar Association’s Diversity Pipeline Program Committee. Why is this work important to you?

The technology, media, and telecommunications (TMT) industries permeate every aspect of our lives, from education, employment, and healthcare, to commerce, entertainment, and civic engagement. As such, the legal and policy issues that arise in the TMT sectors—including algorithmic bias, disinformation, content moderation and free expression, Internet access and affordability, online privacy, and artificial intelligence—broadly affect society. To ensure that legal and policy outcomes reflect the diverse viewpoints and experiences of our populace, I think it’s important that the practitioners who work in the TMT space represent that diversity. This particularly resonates for me when I consider how these issues affect those on the Puerto Rican side of my family.

But as with many areas of the law, diverse individuals are underrepresented in the TMT legal field. The Diversity Pipeline Program was created to address that shortcoming, and it does so by fostering an interest in TMT law and policy and breaking down barriers that may deter diverse law students from pursuing careers in that space. In particular, it provides a foundational education on key TMT law and policy issues, arranges summer internship opportunities with leading organizations and law firms working on those issues, and offers ongoing support through a mentorship program. I’m proud to be a part of that effort.

When I am not working, you can find me . . .

Going to concerts, meeting up with friends at D.C.-area restaurants, traveling with my partner, pursuing my music hobby, and enjoying the various other activities the region has to offer.

What advice would you give to current law students and recent graduates?

Take chances in your legal career. There are many paths to happiness and success that don’t require landing the most sought-after jobs right out of law school. Sometimes your circumstances, whether finances, family, health, age, or academics, may make you feel like there’s only one practical and responsible choice. And sometimes you’ll take a risk but struggle and wonder if the decision you made will pay off. But when faced with a choice between an opportunity you’re passionate about (that has an uncertain future) and an opportunity that will give you a predictable, stable future (that you’re less passionate about), if your circumstances permit it, take the one that you’re passionate about and trust that your passion will create a path to future opportunities that will give you the kind of career you want.

What is your favorite way to stay engaged with Colorado Law?

The foundation for my legal career was established through my involvement with Silicon Flatirons and the wide-ranging opportunities it provided me as a law student, including the Tech Law & Policy Clinic, the Colorado Technology Law Journal, courses, internships, conferences, and occasions to interact with practitioners and leaders in the TMT space. I continue to be engaged with Silicon Flatirons by attending conferences and D.C.-based events, mentoring students who are involved with the center, and contributing to other initiatives and activities. I enjoy being a part of and giving back to the Silicon Flatirons community.

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