I went to public elementary and middle schools before being placed into a private independent high school by a program focused on diversifying independent schools in NYC. There, I earned high grades despite my difficulty socializing. I struggled at home being the only female; except for my mother, I had no other female presence.

I am a Nuyorican, Puerto Rican, Brooklyn born, mother, wife, youngest child, only daughter, 1st gen college, socially mobile, vegan, entrepreneur, educationally decorated cisgender female… that is a lot and yet there is more! And I hold that daily in all aspects of my life.

The journey towards dissertation started in my own lived experience and the experiences of many women of color I coached. Are there limitations and choices to how authentic I can be? Should I wait for a seat at the table? Should I bring a chair? Should I bust in like Method Man in SWV’s Anything Remix with a “Kaboom, guess who stepped in the room?”