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This digital collage reflects my journey from student to researcher and the central role of family in my identity. I chose this format so viewers can zoom in to read and reflect on each detail. While deeply personal, it also tells a collective story of being a first-generation citizen, college student, and Latina at UC San Diego. UCSD connected me with communities on both sides of the border and shaped my advocacy for immigration justice and educational equity. My family’s immigration story is sewn into the portrait through the backdrop of my graduate school admission essay, alongside symbols, stickers, and photos that represent my roots, aspirations, and memories.

One of my proudest achievements is my soon-to-be-published research on the leadership experiences of undergraduate Latina women organizing communities. I was inspired to create a self-portrait for this gallery after facilitating focus groups where we made self-portraits and combined them into a collective quilt. One detail here is my presentation poster, showing participants’ portraits and how they influenced my own. I included an affirmation from our session—the blue star reads, “I like how we can clearly see how community & home contributes to you.” Another participant drew a tiger over crystal-blue water, a symbol of boldness and balance. I recreated this imagery to honor our shared desire to lead with courage, even when it’s scary. The quote in the bottom left, also shared during the group, reminds me that identity is ever-shifting—and there’s beauty in witnessing that growth through our words and creations. This collage captures who I am now, and will evolve as I do.

Family is woven throughout. The black-and-white photo in the top right shows my dad and uncles playing Ecuadorian folklore music in their band, Encuentro Divino. Their music anchored me in my Ecuadorian heritage. My dad also appears on my graduation cap, wearing a sticker of a grad cap. Though he passed in my adolescence, I carry his encouragement in all I do. Another photo shows my mom pushing my brother and me in a stroller—symbolizing how we’ve always cared for one another. To the left, she’s placing my graduation sash, a reminder of her constant support. The standout image is from my Head Start graduation, which I centered to honor my inner-child. Butterflies and flowers echo the design of my college graduation cap.

Another theme is my love for education. Two artifacts from 6th grade appear: an excerpt from my first research report on tigers and an essay titled A Dream and Goal Conqueror. The line, “With this report, I have found the answers to my questions,” appears next to a photo of my 48x36 research poster, presented at a conference—with my mom beside me. It’s a full-circle moment, showing how my early curiosity has grown into a commitment to research and learning.

This commitment also shows up in my work with the Tijuana Youth Migrant Mentor Network (TYMMN). The largest photo shows a classroom I taught in, where we made self-portraits and discussed well-being with youth at a refugee shelter in Tijuana. TYMMN was a transformative part of my UCSD experience and deepened my dedication to the mental health of asylum-seeking, immigrant, and first-gen families. TYMMN is featured three times: on my graduation sash (top left), its logo (center right), and a student’s drawing of Earth (top right).

The background of the collage features my doctoral application essay in counseling psychology. Though I wasn’t accepted this cycle, writing it was a turning point and it now serves as a modern artifact—I now believe I can attend graduate school, something I once thought impossible as a community college transfer. This collage is now part of my evolving autohistoria-teoría, the focus of my research in Chicana feminism and student identity development. The collage carries psycho-mytho-spiritual meaning, with symbols connecting across the page. It’s a reminder of who I’ve been, who I am, and who I’m becoming—a first-gen scholar, researcher, daughter, sister, and community member learning to take up space with pride.