Erica is an optician who was born and raised in New Jersey. She graduated in the top 10 percent of her class at Newark’s Science High School, where she excelled in Math, Science and Spanish. Erica furthered her education in Ophthalmic Science at Boston University and then completed certification at the School for Ophthalmic Dispensers in Essex County.

Erica is very involved in the building of her community’s foundation through volunteer work with children’s sports and education. She is also a part time arts and crafts volunteer with Chicago’s Soka Gakkai International Organization, where she is the newly appointed poet laureate. Additionally, she is a strong and valuable team member of the Chicago Northside Women’s Flag Football team, where she has been a leader in defensive statistics.