As a proud North Carolinian and Mexican, I am thrilled to join the vibrant community cultivated within Mi Gente. Throughout my academic journey, I often felt isolated due to language barriers and the lack of diversity in my surroundings. This experience inspired me to establish the Dream Readers program, a tutoring initiative aimed at helping Hispanic children improve their reading and English skills. While the program focuses on fostering literacy, my broader goal was to create a supportive community for Hispanic students, ensuring no one feels as alone as I once did. Duke’s Mi Gente represents the Hispanic society I have longed to join—a place where I can connect with others who share my cultural heritage and dedication to academic excellence. In literature, there is a recurring theme of the “found family,” and Mi Gente offers the opportunity to build that sense of belonging with others who understand and embrace our shared experiences. Creating a strong sense of community has always been essential to me, and I plan to bring my mentorship skills to Mi Gente, just as I did with Dream Readers. Like the wind that carries dandelion seeds to help them reach their destiny, I aim to help my peers flourish and achieve their goals. My contribution to Mi Gente will be rooted in fostering connections, promoting mutual growth, and celebrating the success of others.