Having had the experience of growing up as a blind Latina in east Texas, I've felt the gentle but persistent drive to live my life in a way that I can be proud of--to leave each place better than I found it. It's the drive that compelled me to get my degree in Women's and Gender Studies with a double minor in Psychology and Educational Psychology. Here, I learned a lot about community health and organizing, political advocacy, data analysis and research methodology, and how to work in service to marginalized communities.It is the reason that I then went on to work at the Iowa Department for the Blind as an Independent Living Rehabilitation Teacher, where I was responsible for a caseload of more than 40, and worked to provide other blind folks with quality of life-enhancing techniques. I was part of a great and collaborative team that also helped to train me on valuable skills for this role, such as case management, referral coordination, curriculum planning and implementation--just to name a few. It even informed the way that I've spent my time in and out of college--working as a volunteer assistive technology instructor, a Crisis Text Line Counselor, a summer youth staff, and even a homemaker--all of these things have brought me valuable skills that I hope to use in my next role, where I hope to continue my passion to do work in service to others. If you care about disability rights, community betterment and organizing, or mental health (even if it's self-knowledge through the enneagram! I love this tool), I'd love to connect! We're all on this journey together!