my mission

The topics I confront through my work stem from personal experiences and investigations of the world around me. I emigrated with my family from Mexico at the age of two, and for most of my life I lived and worked as an undocumented immigrant. While illegally residing in the US, I was able to blend in with my peers do to my light complexion and perfectly unaccented English. As my mother would say, “ni de aqui, ni de alla,” as I felt not from here, or there; my teen years were spent as a fearful vagabond. As an undercover “chicana,” it was soon evident that I had to look at my surreal situation subjectively. I began to question the social structures, which held me in contempt. However, it became my paradox to go against the system I lived in, and wished to be accepted by. “Why are you here?” remembering being asked. Such an open ended question deserves an open ended answer, “why are you here?” I replied. My experiences have gifted me the opportunity to question.  As I looked beyond my boundaries to the myriad of possibilities I thought about Paulo Freire’s words…. “education is the practice of freedom”… I chose to  break free and become an active participant in society, one who has the freedom to dream and create their own future. In the spring of 2009 I achieved my goal of higher education and received my BFA with summa cum laude honors from Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design.

---