About Cecelia
My parents were migrant farmworkers from Colorado, who settled in Utah to raise a family. They overcame discrimination and adversity to give me and my 5 siblings a chance to follow our dreams. They instilled in us the values of hard work, education, and community service. At 11, I raised money through the “Little Miss Mexico” contest to build the Mexican Civic Center. We participated in boycotts of grapes and beer and I served as a junior officer in the American GI Forum. In addition to service we were taught to dream big.
I took my families values to heart and became:
The first in my family to graduate college.
The second Latina to pass the bar in Utah and become a migrant attorney.
The first tenure-track Latina to teach law in Colorado at the University of Denver.
The first Mexican-American to become an appellate judge on the highest immigration court in the country.
I have spent my entire life in rooms where no one else looked like me. I had to figure out how to navigate spaces that weren’t created with women or minorities in mind, and how to be in places where others thought I didn’t belong. I never walked away from the challenges and always built a path for others to actualize their potential with less trauma than I faced. I became the chair of the National Hispana Leadership Institute to address the underrepresentation of Latinas in the senior-levels of government, business, nonprofit and politics. I developed leadership programs for youth in high schools and college and got to introduce Justice Sotomayer and Rita Moreno during their DC book tour.
My husband Michael and I made HD4 our home 32 years ago. It’s where our amazing son was born, and we became deeply invested in our community. I have spent countless hours volunteering in the Democratic Party of Denver, sitting on the Executive Committee, and chairing the Diversity and Inclusion and Platform Committees. Our community has seen me in action and knows I have the experience and skills to deliver real results. Leadership is not about raising problems and hoping for solutions, it’s about having the courage and tenacity to wake up every day committed to working for a better future. As your HD4 representative, I will never waiver in my determination to make a positive difference in each and every one of your lives.
I want to bring your voices into the decisions being made at the state legislature. As your representative, I will always listen to you. I encourage you to call, text, or email me with your questions, concerns and dreams. I hope to earn your trust and support, and would love for you to join us on the campaign trail.
