Harmony recognizes her privilege due to her appearance and identity – being white, heterosexual, cis gendered, and able-bodied. She comes to the topics of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion as an ever growing and maturing ally. She has been fortunate to teach diverse groups of both traditional and non-traditional students, from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds, races, disabilities, sexual orientations, genders, and gender expressions in the US and Canada, and has spent extended periods of time in local communities on a few Indo-Pacific islands with cultures distinct from her own. These experiences have allowed Harmony to appreciate the differences, rather than see herself as separate from others. The statistics and demographics of each teaching position she has held could be displayed here, however faction formation triggers ingroup loyalty and intergroup threat, and is identified as one of the primary drivers of racism (Roberts and Rizzo 2021). Through her experiences, she recognizes her extreme privilege and appreciates the ways the people in those groups have been disadvantaged, enabling her to be an advocate rather than remain passive. She has been shaped by her own experiences as a student, teacher, mentor, and researcher, leading her to realize that representation and belonging are critical to individual success.