Reflections

Jonathan Larson was the Broadway composer of one of my favorite musicals: Rent. He wrote in one of his songs: “The opposite of war isn’t peace, its creation”.

This journey has shaped me in lots of ways, but the most important part of it today for me is how I’m now very proud of being a Latina… I love when people talk to me in Spanish now!

It helped me stop being at war with a very important part of my identity. Now, I want to create for my community. I have the tools and understanding that I didn’t have before, so now I can co-create a better future for my community and for others. Now I have more skills to create a more inclusive world.

Hopefully, The Difference Collective would help many people share and learn from stories that keep us close, bridge gaps, and connect us.

Finally, I want to thank Lisa Norton, for guiding me throughout this exploration, for being patient with me, and for allowing me to doubt. I didn't know it before, but it was just what I needed.

I want to thank my classmates, for sharing their inspiring work and feedback with me.

I want to thank all my Parsons’ professors, for shaping how I see the world and the future.

And I want to thank my family for always supporting me. Living away from you is the hardest thing I have to do everyday.

Love,

Andrea