As a Ph.D. candidate in administrative and policy studies at the University of Pittsburgh and a visiting predoctoral scholar at the Race and Equity Center at the University of Southern California, I greatly benefited from the 2018 American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) conference. Attending and presenting at national conferences has always been an enjoyable endeavor for me, especially since they often provide spaces to meet and network with scholars across colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and beyond.

Participating in the 2018 cohort of AAHHE Graduate Fellows was no exception. In fact, AAHHE provided a unique context to meet and network with a community of scholars with whom I could relate to in a variety of ways and in ways that were new to me. I first learned about AAHHE in 2015 through multiple friends who had participated as graduate fellows. Everyone I interacted with about AAHHE had something positive to share about the organization, making me want to learn more and get involved in any way that I could. As a result, I did my research on the organization and quickly learned that I wanted to be a part of this space. Fortunately, this past spring I had the privilege and honor of being a member of AAHHE as a graduate fellow.

Prior to arriving, I felt a sense of community within the cohort through various exchanges we had via email and social media. Such feelings were confirmed upon my arrival to the conference. The fellowship, mentoring and love that I received from peers and faculty fellows only reinforced my longing to be part of this amazing community of scholars and researchers.

While I did not know many of the students in my cohort or the faculty fellows, the initial contact I had with them made me feel as if I had known them for some time. Consequently, it became easier for me to connect with them at a personal and academic level. Additionally, the back-to-back sessions throughout the conference were extremely helpful, as I was able to learn about the publication process, job search process and the importance of job application materials. The faculty who led these sessions were interactive, engaging and shared the documents they used while applying to jobs.

Aspiring to join the faculty at a research institution, I found the sessions extremely helpful. Moreover, my faculty mentor, Dr. Nancy Acevedo-Gil, an assistant professor at California State University, San Bernardino, was helpful in not only providing important feedback on my paper and presentation but also on navigating the academy and taking advantage of opportunities presented to me.

By the end of the conference, not only had I met people with whom I will continue to be friends but also a larger community of Latinx scholars who are all doing amazing work within their respective disciplines. Specifically, I have been able to collaborate with other AAHHE participants on conference proposals and papers. I know that I share with many the goal of giving back to the community and working in various ways to contribute to improving the lives and conditions of Latinxs in education and beyond. I very much look forward to continuing to fight the good fight with my cohort fellows. •