Housing and Development Newsletter "It took my life back to my childhood years," Alvarez said. "People I had gone to elementary, junior high and high school with reached out when they heard I was running. Also, former co-workers, supervisors, teachers, my kids’ friends, their parents, my siblings and their friends, and current and former school board members whom work or have worked for, all embraced my candidacy and supported me. "It was an overwhelming show of community support that surfaced my strong community ties." She encourages other candidates in her situation in the future to be authentic and trust their intuition when deciding to run.