IN 2009, I had no job and spoke little English. Born and educated in Honduras, I had worked there as an accountant in a busy government agency. When I came to this country, however, I found it hard to believe in myself, I felt ignored, devalued, and powerless. And I was barely surviving an abusive relationship. Imagine having no one who cares for you, nowhere to go, no money, and no idea where to find information. One night someone called the police. A social worker told me that what was happening to me was against the law, and I assumed this meant I would have even more problems. I had never heard the words "domestic violence." In fact, I thought that the emotional and physical abuse I lived with every day was normal. When the social worker referred me to a domestic violence shelter, I thought, "But why? I'm fine."

Finally, I decided to find a Community Center that could help me. A staff person sat and talked with me about domestic violence. She explained that I had choices and said they would support whatever choice was best for me. I listened to women in the domestic violence peer support group tell their stories, and I began to see myself in them. Slowly, I began to remember who I was. I went to a legal aid agency, got a restraining order, and talked to an immigration attorney. Having information in my hands was the beginning of a complete transformation for me. I learned rapidly, and everything I learned I shared with other women in my community who were in similar situations. As I shared information and talked about my experiences, I grew stronger-and they did too. Once, when I had severe back pain, the nurse at the clinic asked me about domestic violence. I had no idea that my health problems could be linked to physical and emotional abuse! As I healed, I share information with others about how domestic violence affects our health. Everything I've lived and everything I've learned I share with others-to me, this is what it means to be an educador comunitario (community educator).

I enrolled in a leadership program at the center, and there I found a community of support. Sharing information became my passion, and I created a project to talk to Latino families about the importance of helping young people stay in school. After I graduated from the program, the director told me, "The support group needs your leadership." It was my turn to tell the women in the group what others had told me: "I know you think you will never be able to do it-I said the same thing-but here I am, and I know that you can do it too." I accompanied women to the police station and went with them to court, I advocated for the health services they needed, and helped them get health insurance. And I will never forget the faces of happiness when they were awarded custody of their children or achieved their goals. Their joy was my motivation. I know it makes a difference because women from this group come back to share with me their stories of leaving.

Today, I believe in myself and I am no longer scared to speak out or share my opinions with other people. But because I was raised in a family where children were physically punished, I was worried about how I was going to raise my son. I enrolled in a parenting class where I met other parents who struggled too. I took the class 3 times! Not because I couldn't learn the material but because each time I learned something new and my confidence as a mother grew. Today, I am a proud padre educador (peer parent educator) and I teach parenting classes to Latino parents in Richmond, California. Parents who once complained about screaming and yelling in their families tell me how they are learning to communicate with their partners and children. I continue to learn from them, and together we are becoming a more educated community. When my parents saw how much I had changed, they enrolled in the class too, and now we are on the same page raising my son together.

I am an educador comunitario, and I have experiences to share and information about many topics-not just domestic violence or health. I work as a childcare provider because, as a single mother, paid jobs in these roles are hard to find. But what I do for others, I do not do for a paycheck or even as a volunteer; I do it so that they too can have a chance to grow. And because I have been in their shoes, people know I understand and this makes me more credible. I love it when other people can do what I did and feel what I felt because at one time I knew nothing and now I know more. And if I did it, then they can do it too. This is not just about me or about any one person-this is about our community.

I am grateful to The Latina Center in Richmond, California, that has supported me on this journey with love and opportunity. The Latina Center helps Latina leaders learn more about the needs in our community and encourages us to identify ways to put our gifts and our skills to work in service to others in our community.