 I am the first in my family to pursue post-secondary education. I was raised by a single immigrant parent, and although my mother highlighted the importance of higher education, she didn't have the resources to guide me on the path to college. With few resources, I wondered how I would make it. My dreams of making my family proud became real the day I went to a local boys and girls club, and one of my counselors sat me down and walked me through the steps of applying to community college and financial aid. It wasn't until community college for me where I received a level of support that was unmatched and I found a passion for helping students like me. My experience navigating college as a first-generation, low-income, and system-impacted student gave me the perspective that they were critical things that make it difficult for students to see higher education, accessibility, and affordability. Throughout the summer, I was able to expand my knowledge in both of these areas. I had the opportunity to intern at the Post-Secondary National Policy Institute. Their goals are to provide summer scholars with opportunities to build their knowledge base in higher education, federal policy, and build their professional networks. I worked on many projects that honed in on my skills such as research, writing, and data analysis. One of my projects I worked on was updating fact sheets that are posted on their website. This included Latino students, first-generation, and immigrant students. These fact sheets highlighted diverse student populations and provided a lens of enrollment rates, degree attainment, and barriers faced in higher education. These are usually used for referencing, drafting bills, institutions, or other organizations. At the Ford School, I learned the importance of writing and being clear and concise. I found this to be critical because I had to make sure I could interpret the data, provide clear information, and translate that in order for people to make informed decisions on education policy that impact these student populations. This project spoke to me the most because I felt a personal connection. I came into this experience with limited knowledge. One of my main objectives was to learn about the federal policy process and how that looks like in the space of education. I was amazed to receive the level of support my team offered, not only to get projects done, but to make sure that I had a transformative experience. They focused on building my professional network, which allowed me to meet so many professionals in the education community. I had the chance to live in Washington, DC, and discover the opportunities the city had to offer. I also had the support of the leadership coaching program, which allowed me to build my confidence when experiencing imposter syndrome, and most importantly, learned more about my passion for education. My team created an environment of growth, encouragement, and inspiration. Moving forward, I want to continue supporting students from historically marginalized communities and ensure students not only gain access to higher education, but also receive the full benefits throughout and beyond their studies.