I am from Calexico, a border town full of rich culture due to our interconnectedness to Mexico; however, this diverse environment was not reflected in our education. Instead, we had a Eurocentric education centered on oppressive school tracking, the restriction of translanguaging, and low expectations. These practices play a large role in the future and well-being of each student. For instance, the labels such as “troublemaker” or “lazy” placed on me during my schooling affected my motivation and self-worth as a student. It was thanks to my family’s support that I was fueled to change this label to prove that I am worthy of attaining higher education. My past experiences motivate me to become a humanizing teacher that reframes how I react and think in relation to other students, especially BIPOC, so they may have a safe learning environment. I will help my students reclaim spaces to shift our Eurocentric education into one centered on social justice because no one deserves to be restricted from their identity. In addition, most students in Calexico are first-generation college students because our parents recently immigrated to the United Stances; hence, we all had this drive to support our family and leave our mark in this country since we currently had no generational wealth or any form of capital. I will forever be grateful for the time, opportunities, and money my family has sacrificed for the well-being of my siblings. They are my main motivators for why I chose to pursue a college education. Upon reflection, the educator who has played the biggest role in my future and impact in my life is my innovative professor from UC Davis, Dr. Lawrence Winn. During my fourth year as an undergraduate, I took a course titled, “Introduction to Schools,” taught by Dr. Winnan who sparked my interest in teaching through his passion for his students and education reform. I was blown away by the classroom community that is often not seen in STEM courses. For instance, our professor gave us time to uniquely create a classroom learning agreement and incorporated assignments that accommodated different learning styles. In addition to his inspiring teaching style, this course made me realize how complex our education system is as we learned about the opportunity gap, school to prison nexus, the vast differences in teacher preparation, and transformative justice. Dr. Winn filled a gap I was missing in my academic journey and influenced me to shift my future in wildlife rehabilitation to pursue a career as a science teacher. After this course, I participated in a Transformative Justice Studies cohort he co-led with his wife Dr. Maisha Winn, who gave me the tools to critically look at the past and use it to transform our future. I am deeply thankful for all the support and opportunities I have been provided with due to my professor’s honesty, generosity, and love he has for each of his students. Thanks to Dr. Winn and my family, I am continuing my education to get my Master’s in Education and teaching credentials to pursue my career in the education field.