As a Mexican immigrant and #LatinaMamiScholar, it had been very difficult to feel like I truly belonged in academic spaces. I lacked the professional network and appropriate mentorship to help me navigate the unforeseen barriers being a first-generation student brought. I had long heard of the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE), so I applied to be a graduate fellow, twice, only to be rejected. Thus, I gave up and decided to focus on my dissertation. After all, I was a geographically single mother to an energetic 2-year-old. My husband had been stationed in Germany for almost the entirety of my doctoral program — there was simply no time. Once I secured a faculty position, I immediately applied for the AAHHE Faculty Fellows program, only to be rejected one more time. I grew frustrated, upset and resentful. What were they looking for? I decided I could not give up, and I applied the following year and was accepted as a faculty fellow. I still vividly remember reading the email; I had knocked on the same door multiple times, and it had finally opened.

In my letter, I was transparent about my need to build community with other Latinx scholars. I needed intentional mentorship that took into account me being a #LatinaMamiScholar (of now a 5-year-old and an 18-month-old), Mexican immigrant, Chicana feminist and on the tenure-track. That year, I was fortunate to have been selected for three highly competitive faculty fellowships, but none compared to what AAHHE gave me. For the first time in my academic career, I finally felt validated in my entirety. The career advice I received as an AAHHE faculty fellow has given me great insight into the importance of honoring my intersecting identities while being intentional about the type of scholarship I produce. My research centralizes the racialization of Latinxs in higher education, the impact race and racism have on their academic performance, and intragroup Latinx racial heterogeneity. I feel an incredible obligation to produce research that highlights Latinx intragroup racial differences — specifically making visible the stories of AfroLatinxs.

One of the most valuable aspects of being an AAHHE faculty fellow was being paired with graduate fellows whose research aligned with my own. I have remained in contact with my mentees and have co-authored a manuscript with one of them on AfroLatinidad. I now understand why I had to apply four times before finally being selected. There are very few professional spaces where Latinxs can enter and be their holistic selves. AAHHE has given me the opportunity to be mentored and mentor, and to learn from some of the leading scholars in the field of education. I am eternally indebted to the life-changing and career-affirming experience of being selected as a faculty fellow. Gracias! •