When I found out there wase a previous AAHHE fellow at my institution, Jorge Moraga, I reached out and was happy to find a new mentor. Now Dr. Moraga, his guidance in my doctoral journey has been instrumental in my success and made me feel like I was part of the AAHHE familia from the start.

I am currently a fourth-year doctoral student in the Cultural Studies and Social Thought in Education program at Washington State University. My family is from Lima, Peru, and I am the first in my family to have earned a college degree and pursue a graduate degree.

At a pivotal time in my graduate career, as I prepared to write my dissertation, I attended the annual AAHHE Annual Conference. While I long planned to pursue a career in academia, I never received practical training on the ins and outs of navigating the job market. Thanks to AAHHE and the Graduate Fellows Program, I feel ready to enter the job market in the coming fall. More importantly, I feel confident because I have the support to be successful in my field, and my AAHHE fellows cohort or faculty mentor are there if I need them.

What I enjoyed most about AAHHE was having the opportunity to connect and build relationships with other young Latinx scholars who are doing scholarship in support of our communities. By interacting with new faculty members who were very open and transparent about their experiences, I gained great insight. I look forward to using the new tools and support systems AAHHE provided as I continue my graduate work and enter the job market. My long-term career plan is to continue doing research on topics pertaining to Latinx education and immigration while also being able to influence policy making.

Overall, I feel affirmed by my experience with AAHHE and look forward to continuing my involvement with the organization and its many programs. •