Throughout my education, I have always had a strong inclination towards reading and research. I was encouraged to embrace my willingness to delve into a new book or use spare time to document my ideas. In college, I took advantage of the opportunity to take classes that involved literature and ethnic studies, environmental issues, and language translation. I wrote papers on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of post-South African Apartheid and the challenges and prospects of openness and democracy in Cuba. Other classes required formal papers in Spanish or gave me the opportunity to reach back to translations of philosophy from Plato. Books that shaped my life included a memoir and autobiography by President Barack Obama. These books left me questioning policy at the local level, and I found courage and authentic perspectives on community development through its pages. My interest in policy led me to attend college at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. There, I conducted guided research on water resources and interned at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of …