ABSTRACT
The author discusses her experiences in academia as an undocumented Latina student, researcher, and instructor. she reflects on times when she relies on bravery to continue moving forward in higher education, and highlight the different ways in which liminally documented academics like herself can negotiate their immigrant identities and find the support necessary to harness their own bravery. She hopes that this essay will resonate with graduate students and early career academics who are undocumented, unDACAmented (i.e., those who have benefitted from Deferred Action from Childhood Arrivals), and those who have other liminal immigration statuses, such as Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The strategies she provides include taking ownership of immigrant narratives in academic spaces, the role of "coming out" as a source of bravery, and finding meaning in the academic journey itself. Her path to becoming an academic has, by no means, been one of unwavering courage and resilience.
