“Growing up it was always clear to me that I was "different." While my siblings and cousins wanted to play outside, I was always inside reading, working on math workbooks, or watching educational TV shows. I knew at a young age that I was slightly ahead of the curve. So when it came to actually being in school, I was always so excited to get on the bus, sit at my desk, and start my day. The first time I ever experienced doubt in myself (and a little bit of fear) was moving to a new school, in a predominantly White area at the start of third grade. I remember being asked to come in for an evaluation prior to the school year starting. The counselor had told me that I had done exceptionally well on my math evaluation, the first one they gave me, and next was the reading comprehension. The counselor suddenly looked at me and said, "Do you even speak English? Are you going to need ESL?" I was taken aback. I had been fluent in English and Spanish since I could remember. It never occurred to me that by merely looking at me, someone could question whether I could even speak the language of the country in which I was born and raised. At this moment I became aware of my differences compared to my classmates and the environment that I would be in for years to come. I became aware that I was not in a place of comfort as I was in my previous school, where all of my friends and classmates looked like me and were all shades and colors. I was made aware that I "look different." This didn't stop me from excelling and using all of my knowledge to outperform in all of my classes and even be placed in advanced math classes at an early age. But it did open the door to my understanding that I will face obstacles. I will have to prove myself in certain environments. I will have to prove that I belong, that I can do the work, and not just that, but that I can exceed expectations. That was the first moment in my life that I ever experienced such a feeling. And to this day, I use that to fuel my career as a PhD student, researcher, educator, and mentor.”