I was born and raised in the hot desert of El, Paso Texas which continues to be one of the safest cities in the United States. El Paso is a city with rich culture as it neighbors Juarez, Chihuahua, and is home to one of the largest military bases in the U.S., Fort Bliss.

My father was a soldier in the Army stationed there, which was quite a move both in distance and culture for a young Black man who was born in St. Louis, Missouri. My mother was born in Juarez, Chihuahua and moved to the U.S. at the age of 21. She was seeking refuge from an abusive marriage, with my oldest brother, and my sister on the way.

My mother found support in her family, which included my grandparents and a total of eight aunts and uncles, as recently established in the U.S. My parents met in 1990. Although they did not know each other’s native language, they found a way to make dating work! They married in 1991, and one year later, I was born.

I am part of a blended family; I have two brothers and one sister, raised in a multicultural home. I have very fond memories of a humble and simple childhood with my siblings and extended family. One of the greatest challenges in my life has been navigating my biracial and bi-ethnic identity in a country that supports White Supremacy. My parents sometimes had different values, which proved to be challenging. On top of the conflicting values within my home, the microaggressions and barriers that I experienced navigating the education system and within my family were challenging. Another prevalent challenge in my life has been overcoming generational racial and domestic violence trauma.

Many people have played an influential role throughout my life, but one thing that stuck out to me was my family’s value of education. Both of my parents made sacrifices during our childhood, and the best gift I could give them was to pursue something that I always loved, higher education.

Giving back to the community was also prevalent in my upbringing, so I developed a desire for social justice and community service. I decided to pursue a psychology degree at a 4-year institution. While no one in my family went to college, I took a leap and applied to doctoral programs in school psychology. I was accepted to the Ph.D. program at the University of Houston in 2016 and have been working on my degree since then. I take a cultural humility lens and focus on family and community-focused service delivery. Some of my saddest moments in my career have been experiencing passive-aggressive forms of discrimination and microaggressions. However, some of the happiest moments in my career include building an authentic sense of community and support with my colleagues, faculty and supervisors.

My hope for people is to recognize the importance of understanding and accepting their true authentic selves. Living true to your values while respecting and acknowledging others’ narratives is what the future needs.

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Advice to younger self:

• • There is nothing wrong with saying no. Practicing this skill early on will help you advocate for yourself and others in the future! Stay true to yourself.