I am a dedicated Peer Advocate who bridges the gap between lived experience and academic rigor. Drawing on over 15 years as a justice-impacted individual, I leverage my personal history to build immediate, authentic rapport with marginalized communities. My life was profoundly transformed by higher education, cementing my conviction that learning is the ultimate catalyst for personal and community transformation. This conviction drove my academic journey, during which I maintained a 4.0 GPA at the University of Colorado Denver while concurrently navigating the systemic complexities of carceral life. Today, I actively serve on the University of Colorado Denver's College in Prison Program Advisory Board, and I am humbled by my involvement with the Colorado Coalition for Higher Education in Prison. Operating at this intersection of "the prison yard and the university," I empower my peers by replacing systemic "power-over" dynamics with collaborative "power-with" partnerships.