How do you begin a story that hasn't finished? You can start from the very beginning - but in doing so lose the reader amidst a sea of details. Another tactic is to pick specific chapters that already have a clear end, but with this method I think you lose a sense of wholeness of the individual. These tensions are the root of my dissonance and struggle in introducing myself as a person and professional. I think the overarching motivation and philosophy that drives my story is best captured by the above quote from Gloria Anzaldúa. My personal and professional journey is one of constantly seeking understanding of myself, the relationships with the ones around me, and the world. Learning is the process of making meaning of the world, and I strive to navigate the space between being a teacher and student. By holding these identities dialectically within myself I embrace Anzaldúa’s Third Space, or the Borderlands, and I raise my consciousness. These borderlands are ripe with dissonance and ambiguity, and it is my role as a student-teacher and teacher-student to walk with myself and others in these metaphorical borderlands. My story – who I am personally and professionally – is constantly evolving as I continue to make meaning. However, my core – the internal voice that resides within the borderlands – is inquisitive in nature and longs for connection. These connections are intrapersonal, interpersonal, and even academic in nature. So, how do you begin a story that hasn’t finished? For me it has been searching for the silver lining that holds the Truth within the dissonance.