My various experiences make me uniquely qualified for the County Commission position in district 5. My district includes a diverse group of people culturally and economically. I believe I can empathize with a majority of my district since my background is so wide ranging.

I was born in New York City to two immigrant parents of Hispanic heritage. At a young age my father left our home leaving my mother very few options. She decided that our family, my older brother and I, needed a fresh start. So we packed up, jumped on a Greyhound bus and during the Christmas holidays traveled cross-country to a cousin’s house in Santa Rosa, California. When we arrived we really didn't have any prospects just the will to make a better life for ourselves.

The start of life there was difficult. When my mother went to enroll me at the local public elementary school they did not wait for my transcripts from my former school. They heard my mother's Spanish accent so they assumed we were new arrivals to America and placed me in remedial courses. The error was caught and I was placed in the proper "track" but it showed me very early that I would have to prove myself. To survive my mother accepted a job assisting at a school, my brother worked at a fast food restaurant, and I started a paper route. We kept our family together and supported each other through our struggles.

In high school I continued to work, letter in 3 varsity sports, and excel in school. I won the scholar athlete award for my school and was a finalist for a national scholar athlete award. I decided to attend the University of California, Berkeley to pursue a degree in Biology. When a knee injury sidelined me from my athletic pursuits I decided to use my extra time getting involved on campus and the community. I started working at a student advocacy group, MPACT, which was an organization, established to help under represented groups on campus better adjust to campus life.

I eventually became the director of the program. The program was meant for a subset of students but our organization brought an entire campus together. We banded together to tackle such issues as the divestiture of the university from companies that were doing business in South Africa, because the country was supporting apartheid. During these years I also was an Assistant Basketball Coach at Berkeley High School, a Big Brother, and help start a tutoring program that brought college students to a local public high school for mentoring and tutoring.

After graduating in four years, I attended Stanford University for a M.A. in Science Education. While attaining straight A's, I taught two public high school science classes and was an Assistant Basketball Coach of Menlo Atherton High School, a team that won a state championship. I also was chosen to be the only first year teacher to be part of the Carnegie Funded Teacher Assessment Project (TAP). TAP was designed to increase professionalism in teaching by having teacher's go through a rigorous certification process. TAP certification would reward expert teachers with an increase in salary and responsibilities.
After graduating from Stanford I accepted a full time teaching position at a local public high school. I also accepted the Head Coaching job of the basketball team, making me the youngest high school head coach in California. That year I won a National Teaching Award for my hands on science curriculum and took a team that went 3 and 17 the previous year to 13 and 11. After working with kids for many years I made the decision that I wanted to pursue my medical degree. I chose the University of Illinois because they offered me the opportunity to complete research, continue teaching, and because I found someone that I thought could be good mentor - Dean of Students Dr. William Wallace. (He became the most influential person in my life.) I became Class President, started a tutoring program for high school students interested in medicine, completed research in trauma surgery, and graduated with James Scholar Distinction.
After graduating from medical school, I completed an internship in Internal Medicine at Illinois Masonic Hospital and an Ophthalmology Residency at Northwestern Hospital. During that time my book, Insider's Guide to Medical School Admissions, was published and became a best seller on college campuses throughout the United States. Dr. Wallace became sick with kidney failure. After a long struggle with his disease he eventually died. But before he died he challenged me not to change. He wanted me to continue to serve my community and help the underserved achieve success.

Three days after finishing residency I started working at Jackson General Hospital in Jackson, Tennessee. It is there where I started Toyos Clinic in 1998. I opened several centers throughout West Tennessee, including Memphis. Our clinic was voted by Inc. Magazine as one of the 500 fastest growing companies in the United States. We were also chosen one of the 50 fastest growing companies in Tennessee by Tennessee Business Magazine. We have always had an open clinic meaning that we care for the uninsured regardless of their ability to pay. (Also, unlike most clinics we have always accepted TennCare.) I won The Humanitarian Award from the Jazz Foundation for our clinics free care that we gave to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. I eventually made Memphis my home and the clinic here our primary clinic. I have tried to integrate myself in the community fabric by supporting various causes and being a board member of Ballet Memphis and the Rock and Soul Museum. I think people have noticed this commitment by voting me one of the Top 40 under 40 by Memphis Business Journal and Memphis Magazine’s 30 Who's Who.

In my day job, Ophthalmology, I have won research grants, conducted FDA studies, designed surgical equipment, published, invented surgical techniques, and have been invited to lecture nationally and internationally. I worked hard to perfect my surgical skills and that has paid off in the success of our clinic as we have attracted patients for all over the world.

I believe I can bring my expertise in business, health care, education, and leadership to the County Commission position in District 5.