People told me not to come home to Toledo, OH. I spent the first few years of my life after graduation dedicated to serving incarcerated people in 7-8 correctional facilities between Massachusetts and Connecticut. I worked directly with staff and administration within the prisons, with staff and faculty from prestigious institutions like Tufts, Harvard, and Yale, with hundreds of student volunteers--students from the law and policy schools and from the undergrad communities, with formerly incarcerated colleagues, with people on the inside--life sentences and all, and with the many leaders making waves in the criminal justice world. I felt I was making meaningful impact within that community and was doing something that I went to public policy school for. But there was always a question burning inside: how about my home? How about the many voices and narratives in the Midwest that are waiting to be shared with the world? I was told to stay out in the coast and pursue my dreams and opportunities there. But was that it? I never thought I'd be in Toledo, OH after spending time on the East Coast. I certainly do not believe you need to be in the big city to find success and I am here now in Toledo to prove all the naysayers wrong. I started Midstory with a group of similar-minded people to cultivate the many narratives from the Midwest, to challenge, uplift, restore, clarify, and empower this region through creative multimedia storytelling and solutions-oriented research, to be a magnet for more individuals like me to also find the courage and boldness to return. I have come home and I hope you'll join my journey forward. Check us out @ www.midstory.org or follow us on social media @midstory IG @midstorytoledo