ABSTRACT
These are the experiences of a woman whose story is not unlike many that readers may have previously heard. In fact the connection to her story is the very reason she is compelled to share hers, for often, she hears her own experience reflected in the voice of others. And although initially that recognition of voice justified her silence, the learning of how to break out and take pride in that which is uniquely hers and hers alone is where this story begins. Her race/ethnicity has been the harder identity to take pride in outside of her home. She did not have positive role models who had navigated the US racial context and who could help her understand that her desire to assimilate, her confusion around who she was, and her need for community were a part of a larger fabric of human experience that was just awaiting her discovery.
