ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author describes how an incident in his graduate program sparked a series of changes within himself and the department. The author writes about the turmoil and challenges of being a first-generation college and Mexican American in a predominantly White graduate program. As the author describes his experiences, he reflects on how academia had convinced him that because he was Latino that he could not study Latinos and be taken seriously. He finds his way out of these internalized beliefs through advocacy, friendship, allyship, and, finally, meeting a faculty member that looked like him. The author ultimately leaves the reader with a lasting lesson to never lose who they are.
