I was born and grew up in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. I graduated from the University of São Paulo, with a Bachelor's degree in Communications and Arts and major in Journalism. I worked as a journalist in Brazil and in Japan, and authored a biography book on Chico Mendes published in Portuguese. I have a Master's degree in Library Science from the University of North Texas and I am a member of the Beta Phi Mu International Library and Information Studies Honor Society.
I have a multicultural Japanese-Brazilian background. I am fluent in English, Portuguese, Japanese, and Spanish. I have resided in the United States for the last two decades, first in Southern California, and currently in Las Vegas, where I work as a librarian.