I have been a community college instructor for 38 years. During that time, I have been a union leader and activist on the local, state, and national level. I also have served my colleagues through the Academic Senate. I have always been particularly interested in furthering the success of my ethnic minority and low income students, especially those Latino/a students who share backgrounds similar to mine. For many years, I was involved in the Puente Project which addresses the needs of these students. While I have received formal recognition and various awards for my work throughout the years, nothing has ever compared to seeing the joy and pride on the faces of my students at graduation!