ABSTRACT
This chapter shares testimonios of survival and accomplishments in academia as students and women of color. From two very distinct, yet similar, locations, the authors share their experiences in higher education as students and as women of color in academia. They begin by sharing a brief background about ourselves. Rufina Cortez identifies as a Latina from Mexican descent, born and raised in Southern California. The youngest of ten siblings, her family has lived in the United States for four generations. She received her PhD from the University of Illinois in 2013. Originally from Oxnard, California, Rufina completed her undergraduate studies at the University of California at Santa Barbara, and her master's in higher education from Claremont Graduate University, before earning her doctorate from Illinois. Rufina starts the chapter by sharing her experiences as an undergraduate at a predominantly White campus and describes the way in which these experiences have shaped her formation as an emerging scholar.
