I was born and raised in San Francisco. I come from a large family that has deep roots in San Francisco. My parents always emphasized family, faith, education, and helping others. I had wanted to become a dentist ever since I was in my teens, this was greatly influenced by my mother who was a nurse in San Francisco for 55 years.

I attended Saint Rose Academy High School, then headed down to Los Angeles for my undergraduate degree, where I graduated from Loyola Marymount University Magna Cum Laude, and received the Presidential Citation Award for Leadership and Service. I then returned to the Bay Area where I attended and graduated from UCSF Dental School with Honors in 1993, and in 1994 completed a Residency Program with the Veterans Administration Hospital in Martinez, California. Following my Residency, I began working as an associate dentist where I practiced general dentistry and gained invaluable experience in the practical aspects of running a private practice. In May of 1998 I bought a general dental practice in San Rafael, California after 7 years I expanded that practice and opened a second practice in Greenbrae, California.