Imagination is a powerful tool that can help envision new possibilities and creations for a better world. And if there is anyone who can help expand our imagination as adults, it is children. Children have an innate ability to think creatively, dream, and imagine in innovative ways where we as adults can learn from their abilities. For this reason, if I were to create a class that all students in K-12 were required to take, it would be called ImagiNation Creations. This class would be embedded into a social studies class portion, and it would require the class to identify a climate issue present in their local communities, which could stem from a lesson plan that has reviewed historical issues in our country, but would encourage students to think of their local communities. To facilitate this discussion, students would be encouraged to draw connections from their familial knowledge and experiences, community experiences, and make meaning of their own observations. First, students would have homework to discuss this class assignment with their guardians and hear from their parents about issues they think are prevalent in their community. Once students return to school, they would be encouraged to share their experiences and observations in small groups of 4-5 students, and everyone would have the opportunity to share and practice active listening skills with their peers. Afterwards, each group would then narrow down an issue they would want to focus on, and they would be encouraged to think critically about how they would address this issue. All of the students would be given guiding questions, such as: who can you work with to help address this issue? Are there any tools or materials that you would need? What are things being done to help resolve this issue? To close the class, students would split into groups and create a drawing imagining all of the ways they would combat this climate change issue. All of the students would contribute to the art project, and then would have to explain to the class how the group envisioned tackling this issue. The ImagiNation Creations class aims to inspire creative thinking in collaboration with other peers to think about climate change issues prevalent in their community. This class is grounded in an inter-dialogue model where students from all backgrounds are able to share their knowledge with their peers, affirming that everyone is a holder of knowledge, while demonstrating to the students that their classroom is diverse in experiences. Group dialogue can encourage learning from one’s experiences, and hopefully inspire students to share their stories. Adding an artistic component would allow for a different mode of expression for students to envision their ideas for a better world. The ImagiNation Creations class promotes imagination as a tool for envisioning a better nation by encouraging students to learn from one another and their community; all creations and solutions have stemmed from imagination, and children can help generate provoking ideas for climate change solutions.

My great-grandmother taught me how to tend to the earth and all living beings around us, caring for the plants, our waters, the animals, and all the people in our community. I was taught we are all interconnected through kin relations with one another. My relationality to the earth and people is rooted in Indigenous Zapotec values of reciprocity and service. These values have been woven into my teachings and are a part of who I am as an Indigenous educator. My Indigenous ties to my culture and community in Oaxaca, Mexico, have fueled my passion to expand educational opportunities for marginalized students. My family and people have used these teachings to overcome systematic challenges like lack of access to clean water, economic impoverishment, and lack of education. Being a first-generation Indigenous student and now a doctoral student means I have all the aspirational and motivational capabilities to reach my academic and career goals, and help others along the way. These teachings have influenced how I view and navigate the world and have impacted my decision to pursue a doctoral degree in Organization and Leadership with aspirations to create change in education. I am the first in my family to attend college and the first to pursue a doctoral degree. Despite growing up in a low-income, immigrant family in Los Angeles, I have always had the cultural knowledge and strength to pursue a higher education. This experience has also influenced my career goals of working in higher education administration. I work full-time as Director for a Native American student center, helping other students navigate the complexities of college. I am deeply grateful to hold a full-time job that fuels my passion and commitment to expand educational opportunities for marginalized students. However, I am balancing working full time while attending school full time to pursue my education doctorate to meet my financial needs. Holding these two full-time roles has been challenging, yet I deeply aspire to complete my doctoral journey. Due to working full time, my FAFSA application calculated that I could not qualify for grants and was offered only loans. I am grateful because it has allowed me to remain in graduate school. In this first year of my graduate program, I was constrained and had to withdraw about $23,000 in unsubsidized federal loans to cover the tuition expenses, covering classes solely. At the same time, I am facing financial burdens trying to pay $40,000 in my master’s school loans, meet the high costs of rent and basic needs in Silicon Valley, and, most importantly, contribute financial support to my elderly mother, who is retired and lives in Los Angeles. I come from an immigrant family who never had the opportunity to formal education beyond elementary school, and I am unable to lean on them for financial support. An opportunity to receive this scholarship would relieve me from the realities of the financial stress I am having to balance while working full-time and being in a full-time doctoral program. My aspiration to attain this doctorate in education has encouraged me to persist despite the current financial burdens I am experiencing. In a time where public education is at threat, and now more than ever, we need passionate educators like myself to advocate for marginalized students, my career and educational goals are imbued in my pursuit of this doctorate. I use my grandmother’s teaching as a foundation to propel my passion for education and advocacy for all students. I know working towards completing this doctorate will help me reach my career goals.

My great-grandmother taught me how to tend to the earth and all living beings around us, caring for the plants, our waters, the animals, and all the people in our community. I was taught we are all interconnected through kin relations with one another. My relationality to the earth and people is rooted in Zapotec values of reciprocity and service. These values are a way of viewing the world and a way of being; they have been woven into my teachings and are a part of who I am as an Indigenous educator. My family and people have used these teachings to overcome systematic challenges like lack of access to clean water, economic impoverishment, and lack of education. Yet, despite all of that, our people have thrived. These teachings have influenced how I view and navigate the world and have impacted my decision to pursue a doctoral degree in Organization and Leadership with aspirations to create change in education. I am the first in my family to attend college and the first to pursue a doctoral degree. Despite growing up in a low-income, immigrant family in Los Angeles, I have always had the cultural knowledge and strength to pursue a higher education. This experience has also influenced my career goals of working in higher education administration. I work full-time as Director for a Native American student center, helping other students navigate the complexities of college. I am deeply grateful to hold a full-time job that fuels my passion and commitment to expand educational opportunities for marginalized students. However, I am balancing working full time while attending school full time to pursue my education doctorate to meet my financial needs. Holding these two full-time roles has been challenging, yet I deeply aspire to complete my doctoral journey. Due to working full time, my FAFSA application calculated that I could not qualify for grants and was offered only loans. I am grateful because it has allowed me to remain in graduate school. In this first year of my graduate program, I was constrained and had to withdraw about $23,000 in unsubsidized federal loans to cover the tuition expenses, covering classes solely. At the same time, I am facing financial burdens trying to pay $40,000 in my master’s school loans, meet the high costs of rent and basic needs in Silicon Valley, and, most importantly, contribute financial support to my elderly mother, who is retired and lives in Los Angeles. I come from an immigrant family who never had the opportunity to formal education beyond elementary school, and I am unable to lean on them for financial support. I can present my loan documentation as needed. An opportunity to receive this scholarship would relieve me from the realities of the financial stress I am having to balance while working full-time and being in a full-time doctoral program. My aspiration to attain this doctorate in education has encouraged me to persist despite the current financial burdens I am experiencing. In a time where public education is at threat, and now more than ever, we need passionate educators like myself to advocate for marginalized students, my career and educational goals are imbued in my pursuit of this doctorate. I use my grandmother’s teaching as a foundation to propel my passion for education and advocacy for all students. I know working towards completing this doctorate will help me reach my career goals.

My great grandmother taught me how to tend to the earth and all living beings around us, caring for the plants, our waters, the animals, and all people in our community. I was taught we are all interconnected through kin relations with one another. Our family comes from a lineage of farmworkers, who read the clouds and rains to guide cultivation season for a fruitful harvest. Farm animals help our family with growing our corn, herbal medicine, and various plants. The harvest is used to feed the animals, our families, our communities during festivities and ceremonies, and anyone who comes into our home, we always share the little we have. Our relationality to the earth and people is rooted in Zapotec values of guelaguetza/reciprocity and tequio/service. These values are a way of viewing the world and a way of being; these values have been woven into my teachings, and they are a part of who I am. My Zapotec teachings have taught me to think of myself about others, in relation to my community. All of the traditions from my pueblo were passed down to me from my maternal great-grandmother with the hopes of passing on our traditions to the generations to come. Although my great-grandmother, who I called Abuelita ma, is now in the spirit world her words resonate with me every day. Abuelita ma reminds me to care for myself and those around me, and to be a good ancestor because all of our actions create ripple effects for the future. Her teachings remind me of the spirit of resistance that she imbued in me. Our family and people have learned to overcome systematic challenges like lack of access to clean water, economic impoverishment, and lack of access to education, yet despite all of that our people have thrived. These teachings have influenced how I view and navigate the world, and have impacted my decision to pursue a doctoral degree in Organization and Leadership in Higher Education. I am the first in my family to attend college and the first to pursue a doctoral degree. Despite growing up in a low income family household in Los Angeles, I have always had the cultural knowledge and strength to pursue a higher education. This experience has also influenced my career goals working in higher education administration. At the moment, I work full time as Director for a Native American student center helping other students navigate the complexities of college. It has been a challenge to work full time and be a full time doctoral student, and yet still trying to maintain my financial support to my family. However, my drive and passion for achieving this doctorate is what prompts me to get up every day and work with undergraduate students who have a similar dream of reaching a higher education. Many of these students need resources and support to navigate academics and personal challenges, and I hope to be the support I did not have in college. As an Indigenous educator, I value the interconnectedness with other communities as marginalized people in education, and as an elder in training, it is my responsibility as a student affairs practitioner to think of large-scale solutions to address the experiences of minority students. Education is a powerful tool to empower future generations to serve communities to improve society, and through my pursuit of a doctoral degree in Education I hope to do that, to create more opportunities for students to reach their full potential to create positive change.

My great-grandmother, Abuelita Ma, taught me how to tend to the earth and all living beings around us, caring for the plants, our waters, the animals, and all the people in our community. I was taught we are all interconnected through kin relations with one another. These values are a way of viewing the world and a way of being; these values are a part of who I am. My Indigenous Zapotec teachings have taught me to think of myself about others, about my community. Abuelita Ma reminds me to care for myself and those around me and to be a good ancestor because our actions create ripple effects for the future. I am on the journey to pursue a doctoral degree in education to ensure future generations of marginalized first-generation college students have access to resources and support to navigate higher education systems. To be a good ancestor also means to hold yourself to a high standard of accountability when something goes unexpectedly, and I hold myself accountable in all moments of my life because that is how I have grown the most. I am highly reflective and share with others moments of challenge where I have seen the most growth. In my experience, it has been the most tumultuous moment in my life where I have become a better person which has helped me achieve my goals successfully. My pursuit of an Ed.D in Organization and Leadership (O&L) at the University of San Francisco is with the larger goal of fomenting access and equity for underrepresented students in higher education. As a first-generation graduate student currently balancing a full-time job while being a full-time doctoral student I continue to face financial challenges where I am obligated to work full-time throughout my graduate studies. I hold myself accountable by reflecting on my “why” in this pursuit of a doctoral degree. In this reflection, I am reminded of my upbringing cleaning houses with my mother and being limited on clothing and shoes to attend school. Despite all these challenges, I have been determined to reach my goals and have been successful in entering a doctoral program due to all of the support from my women mentors and supporters. I have been very fortunate to come across women who have shared their knowledge on how to reach a doctoral program, and now that I am in one, I do the same with the students I work with. I share all of the knowledge I have acquired along the way. In the moments where I have experienced a shortcoming, like not meeting a work expectation or failing to reach a goal, I remind myself of what I can take away from this moment to grow. I note down in my journal how I can implement these takeaways to ensure I hold myself accountable from this moment. As an Indigenous educator, I value the interconnectedness with other communities as minority people in education, and as an elder in training, it is my responsibility as a student affairs practitioner to think of large-scale solutions to address the experiences of minority students. Reminding myself of this personal goal has motivated me to persist through all adversity to reach success. Success for me looks like meeting my personal, academic, and career goals, all rooted in helping my community of first-generation marginalized students have a better higher education system. Education is a powerful tool to empower future generations to serve communities to improve society, and through my pursuit of a doctoral degree in Education, I hope to create more opportunities for students to create positive change.

Coming out as Queer at thirty years old has been a very tumultuous time in my life. When I first shared this new piece of me with my mother I did not get the love and support that I needed, and this response shattered my heart. I feel very fortunate to have friends and chosen family who have uplifted me since discovering this beautiful side of me. In this new era in my life, Billie Eilish has been an artist that has lifted my spirits through her music and her confidence as a Queer artist. The top three songs that have supported me through these last few months have been "Lunch", "wish you were gay", and "Wildflower". Her music inspires me to embrace all aspects of myself and to be confident as I grow. Discovering new parts of my identity while starting my doctoral program has been very challenging in trying to find the mental capacity to move forward. Trying to balance a full-time job, and a full-time doctoral program, while navigating personal challenges as I come out to my family has proven to be one of the most difficult moments in my life. Turning on my Spotify in the car listening to "Lunch" and normalizing the feelings that I have that my family has rejected has empowered me to continue moving forward through all the challenges of life. Songs like "Wildflower" and "wish you were gay" have allowed me to sit in my tears as I find solace in this moment, and these songs have nurtured and validated my feelings. Although Billie Eilish is younger than me, her confidence in embracing all aspects of her life imbues confidence that I am working on achieving- her music has helped me find peace and balance when I needed it the most.

My great grandmother, Abuelita ma, taught me how to tend to the earth and all living beings around us, caring for the plants, our waters, the animals, and all people in our community. I was taught we are all interconnected through kin relations with one another. Our relationality to the earth and people is rooted in Zapotec values of guelaguetza/reciprocity and tequio/service. These values are a way of viewing the world and a way of being; these values have been woven into my teachings, and they are a part of who I am. My Zapotec teachings have taught me to think of myself about others, in relation to my community. Abuelita ma reminds me to care for myself and those around me, and to be a good ancestor because all of our actions create ripple effects for the future. I am on the journey to pursue a doctoral degree in education to ensure future generations of first-generation college students have access to resources and support to navigate higher education systems. My excitement toward higher education was also met with the challenge of learning to navigate the university as someone who identifies as a first-generation college student and Bini’ Zaa, an Indigenous Zapotec Latina woman with family roots in Oaxaca, Mexico who is also proudly Queer. I found myself seeking for spaces where I could find a sense of community within my undergraduate campus at UC Santa Cruz. Fortunately, I came across the Ethnic Resource Centers during my first year, ameliorating my experience and empowering me to continue my degree. In this space, I met others like me, where I could embrace and nurture aspects of my identity. At first, it was hard for me to feel like I belonged at the university because I struggled with my writing in English, and I felt like I was not to the same writing level as other students. The Centers became key to motivating and equipping me with the tools to grow as a student who cared deeply about her community. Today, I weave my lived experiences closely into how I engage in my professional role as a student affairs practitioner and scholar directing a center for Native American Indigenous students. My pursuit of an Ed.D in Organization and Leadership at the University of San Francisco is with the larger goal of fomenting access and equity for underrepresented students in higher education. I would like to serve students whose community imbues them with the same aspirational cultural capital that my Zapotec community gifted me in pursuing a career in higher education. Being Zapotec, knowing how to speak some Zapotec, Spanish, and English allowed me to recognize that knowing more languages means I can serve more people with the knowledge I have acquired. By informing myself of organizational structures in education, I hope to influence campus policies in a dissident manner that can reach students who, similar to my experience as a first-generation student, can have a transformative university experience. As an Indigenous educator, I value the interconnectedness with other communities as minority people in education, and as an elder in training, it is my responsibility as a student affairs practitioner to think of large-scale solutions to address the experiences of minority students. Education is a powerful tool to empower future generations to serve communities to improve society, and through my pursuit of a doctoral degree in Education I hope to do that, to create more opportunities for students to reach their full potential to create positive change.

My great grandmother, Abuelita ma, taught me how to tend to the earth and all living beings around us, caring for the plants, our waters, the animals, and all people in our community. I was taught we are all interconnected through kin relations with one another. Our relationality to the earth and people is rooted in Zapotec values of guelaguetza/reciprocity and tequio/service. These values are a way of viewing the world and a way of being; these values have been woven into my teachings, and they are a part of who I am. My Zapotec teachings have taught me to think of myself about others, in relation to my community. Abuelita ma reminds me to care for myself and those around me, and to be a good ancestor because all of our actions create ripple effects for the future. I am on the journey to pursue a doctoral degree in education to ensure future generations of first-generation college students have access to resources and support to navigate higher education systems. My excitement toward higher education was also met with the challenge of learning to navigate the university as someone who identifies as a first-generation college student and Bini’ Zaa, an Indigenous Zapotec woman with family roots in Oaxaca, Mexico who is also proudly Queer. I was born and raised in the Pico Neighborhood in Santa Monica, California, and I found myself seeking for spaces where I could find a sense of community within my undergraduate campus at UC Santa Cruz. I was searching for places to connect with other English second language learners, since my first language is Spanish and I have also been taught some Zapotec. Fortunately, I came across the Ethnic Resource Centers during my first year, ameliorating my experience and empowering me to continue my degree. In this space, I met others like me, where I could embrace and nurture aspects of my identity. At first, it was hard for me to feel like I belonged at the university because I struggled with my writing in English, and I felt like I was not to the same writing level as other students. The Centers became key to motivating and equipping me with the tools to grow as a student who cared deeply about her community. Today, I weave my lived experiences closely into how I engage in my professional role as a student affairs practitioner and scholar directing a center for Native American Indigenous students. My pursuit of an Ed.D in Organization and Leadership (O&L) at the University of San Francisco is with the larger goal of fomenting access and equity for underrepresented students in higher education. I would like to serve students whose community imbues them with the same aspirational cultural capital that my Zapotec community gifted me in pursuing a career in higher education. Being Zapotec, knowing how to speak some Zapotec, Spanish, and English allowed me to recognize that knowing more languages means I can serve more people with the knowledge I have acquired. By informing myself of organizational structures in education, I hope to influence campus policies in a dissident manner that can reach students who, similar to my experience as a first-generation student, can have a transformative university experience. As an Indigenous educator, I value the interconnectedness with other communities as marginalized people in education, and as an elder in training, it is my responsibility as a student affairs practitioner to think of large-scale solutions to address the experiences of marginalized students.

My great grandmother, Abuelita ma, taught me how to tend to the earth and all living beings around us, caring for the plants, our waters, the animals, and all people in our community. I was taught we are all interconnected through kin relations with one another. Our relationality to the earth and people is rooted in Zapotec values of guelaguetza/reciprocity and tequio/service. These values are a way of viewing the world and a way of being; these values have been woven into my teachings, and they are a part of who I am. My Zapotec teachings have taught me to think of myself about others, in relation to my community. Abuelita ma reminds me to care for myself and those around me, and to be a good ancestor because all of our actions create ripple effects for the future. I am on the journey to pursue a doctoral degree in education to ensure future generations of first-generation college students have access to resources and support to navigate higher education systems. My excitement toward higher education was also met with the challenge of learning to navigate the university as someone who identifies as a first-generation college student and Bini’ Zaa, an Indigenous Zapotec woman with family roots in Oaxaca, Mexico who is also proudly Queer. I was born and raised in the Pico Neighborhood in Santa Monica, California, and I found myself seeking for spaces where I could find a sense of community within my undergraduate campus at UC Santa Cruz. Fortunately, I came across the Ethnic Resource Centers during my first year, ameliorating my experience and empowering me to continue my degree. In this space, I met others like me, where I could embrace and nurture aspects of my identity. The Centers became key to motivating and equipping me with the tools to grow as a student who cared deeply about her community. Today, I weave my lived experiences closely into how I engage in my professional role as a student affairs practitioner and scholar directing a center for Native American Indigenous students. My pursuit of an Ed.D in Organization and Leadership (O&L) at the University of San Francisco is with the larger goal of fomenting access and equity for underrepresented students in higher education. I would like to serve students whose community imbues them with the same aspirational cultural capital that my Zapotec community gifted me in pursuing a career in higher education. By informing myself of organizational structures in education, I hope to influence campus policies in a dissident manner that can reach students who, similar to my experience as a first-generation student, can have a transformative university experience. As an Indigenous educator, I value the interconnectedness with other communities as marginalized people in education, and as an elder in training, it is my responsibility as a student affairs practitioner to think of large-scale solutions to address the experiences of marginalized students.