Last year, I had the privilege of attending the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) annual conference as a graduate fellow. I had attended the annual conference in prior years as a presenter, which had allowed me to understand AAHHE’s mission to advance the careers of Latinxs in higher education. My University of Texas at Austin faculty advisor, Dr. Victor Sáenz, and my friend and colleague, Dr. José Del Real Viramontes, both former AAHHE fellows, introduced me to the AAHHE Graduate Student Fellows Program. As a result, I felt a strong desire to become a part of this unique community from the very beginning of my doctoral program.

In the fall of 2017, I received a phone call from Aurora Kamimura, the graduate fellows program chair, informing me that I had been selected as an AAHHE Graduate Fellow. This news was special to me for a variety of reasons. First, I appreciated the personal effort made by Aurora to call me to deliver the news. In many ways, this is representative of the broader culture of AAHHE, which is committed to foster a sense of comunidad and familia. This is important to me because as a doctoral student, I often deal with a tremendous amount of insecurity and the so-called “imposter syndrome.” Becoming a graduate fellow was reassuring. It removed any doubts that I could, in fact, belong to the greater higher education scholarly community. Lastly, to make the news even better, I happened to be with my parents, who were visiting me in Austin from out of the country, when I received the phone call. Like many of us in the Latinx community, dedicating our success to our families and communities of origin is what makes our accomplishments all the more meaningful.

I can confidently say that being an AAHHE Graduate Fellow has been a true honor. In many ways, being a part of this large national network gives me a greater sense of purpose and belonging. During the annual conference, I was fortunate to spend almost an entire week with my graduate fellow cohort, and I gained a tremendous amount of knowledge from this talented and inspiring group of individuals. I was able to connect with other graduate scholars through similar shared experiences and genuine appreciation for one another. I felt challenged, encouraged and inspired.

As I move forward in my graduate and professional journey, I will continue to be committed to this wonderful community that has given me so much already. Further, I hope to support other Latinxs in the pipeline who are seeking similar career pathways. There are few professional and academic spaces where we can feel supported and validated as Latinx scholars and aspiring higher education leaders. The networks and resources provided by AAHHE have been instrumental to my success, and it is my wish that many others will continue to benefit from this life-changing community. •