I was born and raised in East Los Angeles, California, to immigrant parents who came to the United States from Mexico in search of work and better opportunities. From a young age, my parents conceptualized that obtaining a formal education would be the best way to access a more comfortable lifestyle. As a result, I went through K-12 making sure that I took the hardest classes and earned the best grades to be in a position to attend and ultimately graduate from college. In 2013, I not only accomplished a significant milestone by being only the second in my family to graduate from college, but I also became the first to pursue a Ph.D. In the summer of 2020, I will achieve another milestone by becoming the first in my family with a doctorate. Working to receive a Ph.D. in education policy has placed me in a position where I can use my knowledge and skills to address disparities currently present within the education system. Finding forms of support to address these disparities is what led me to seek out the graduate fellows program of the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE).

Attending the 2020 AAHHE Graduate Student Fellows Program presented me with an opportunity to be in community with other Hispanic graduate students and scholars. Over the course of five days, I participated in informative conversations with other graduate and faculty peers on ways to advance educational opportunities for Hispanic students. While I expected to attend AAHHE and receive input on ways to further my own professional objectives, I was quite thankful at the level of support AAHHE provided in making sure that I first arrived in a position to carry out the changes I sought to implement. Perhaps the most informative seminar I attended revolved around strategies when applying to tenure-track jobs. Listening to faculty who had recently gone through the process and full-tenured professors who have experience being on search committees discuss the components to a strong application was extremely helpful in reaching my goal of becoming a university professor.

As an undergraduate and graduate student attending predominantly white institutions, having the opportunity to be in community with other Hispanics was often unattainable. In the times when I doubted my own academic capabilities, I was fortunate to have Hispanic mentors who were there to inspire and validate my presence in a university space. Similarly, attending AAHHE not only provided the opportunity to interact with others who share the same racial identity, background and culture as me, but it also validated my presence as a future university leader. With an ever-growing Hispanic student population in the U.S., now more than ever we need more Hispanics in positions of power to actively look after the interests and well-being of Hispanics in this country. As a member of AAHHE, I am proud to continue with its mission to prepare the next generation of Hispanic students to be in a position to address the needs of the Hispanic community.