ABSTRACT
I am many voices; some sing, some scold, some whisper. Each voice, a note in my biography, narrates a different understanding of what my/our work is in higher education. My growing up years, mi familia, my experiences in a progressive graduate school program, my research, my journeys as an academic and administrator in public and private colleges, all reshape my vision of higher education. In this piece, I slide between poetry and prose as I grapple with what these multiple voices and interpretations tell me about my place and mission within a system of education penetrated by corporate interests, shifting funding priorities, as well as pockets of action, possibility, and transformation. Throughout my experiences, I learned that my mission is about connection, community, reintegrating imposed ruptures and fragmentations, a feeling of wholeness (see also Lara, 2000).
