My name is Maria Fernanda Jensen (formerly Jimenez Espinosa), and I was born in Chiapas, Mexico, August 1995. At three years old my parents and I came to the United States where we made Portland, Oregon our new home and have been here ever since. To be honest, I don’t remember anything before the age of 5 other than snippets of me crying while taking photos with characters at Disneyland. At 12 years old my parents separated and shortly after I finally became a big sister. My education was standard and I lived in ignorance of my immigration status since my parents never talked about it. As a child I would often say I didn’t feel Mexican and didn’t know much about my culture except for the fact that I spoke fluent Spanish. It wasn’t until my Senior year of high school where I opened up to a teacher about my immigration status. It was Mr. P, me and another student (we’ll call him B) where the topic came up. I remember the moment he said “Oh yeah, people like you don’t go to college.” Very casually, and I remember B looking away awkwardly while spooning peanut butter from a jar as a snack. I teared up and later went home to tell my mom about what happened. She responded with the typical Mexican mom attitude shouting “You will go to college no matter what. Don’t you ever think otherwise.” End of conversation. This was 2012 and little did I know she was already talking to lawyers about enrolling me in the DACA program which would allow me to go to college and have a job, with of course my biannual subscription of $605. I told my teacher who said “that doesn’t sound legal.” At that point I stopped talking about it completely. I started college as a computer science major. The entire process gave me so much anxiety so I changed my degree to film. Not a passion but something I knew I was good at. After joining the industry I knew it wasn’t something I wanted to do so in 2020 I started a jewelry business. While finding my style I quickly realized that my strengths and inspiration came from Mexican florals and fashion. I leaned into it and quickly found my audience. Through looking for inspiration for my designs I continued to do research about my culture. Learning about hand embroidery, artesanias, culture and even food! My community became a combination of cultural heritage and the local art scene. My pieces are inspired by Mexico, using clay to sculpt bright and colorful designs that conjure feelings of nostalgia and celebrate Mexican culture. I’ve shared my work all across Portland which has given me the opportunity to share my story, educate about Mexico and culture appreciation. At all events I wear Mexican clothes including my favorite traditional Chiapaneca dress. I get to talk about how it’s made and the significance of fashion and folk dance across different Mexican regions. This pivot in my career allowed me to take a step back and look at what I really want to do with my life and it’s to return and pursue computer science. I’ve taken self guided courses and completed an internship to make sure this is the right path for me and I’ve learned that I truly enjoy it. My current goal is to apply for scholarships as much as possible. If I get enough scholarship help I will be able to go to school full time so I can start my new career.