The 65^th Annual Conference of the Western History Association (WHA) coincided with a formative and stressful part of my graduate school career. Two weeks prior to arriving in Albuquerque, I had completed written comprehensive exams; I was scheduled to complete my oral examinations to advance into candidacy a week after the conference. Coupled with the ongoing stress of exams and the current state of academia, the conference was timely for me to gain motivation and continue through with the work that I am doing. The WHA conference also broadened my perspective on the type of opportunities and networks that may be available to me while progressing through graduate school and into a career.

For first-time attendees like me this year, I must say that initial introductions to the WHA conference can be somewhat overwhelming. This year’s conference included over two hundred panels, breakfast talks and luncheons, plenary speeches, tours, and events. With so many events and people, it can initially feel difficult to find grounding. I know I felt senses of imposter syndrome stepping into the hotel lobby.

However, I was fortunate to participate as graduate student staff that allowed me to connect with fellow students. I met people pursuing a variety of historical topics from various graduate programs. Some folks even related to my interests in histories of Mexican-origin communities of the Pacific Northwest. I was happy to meet Sharon Salgado Martinez and to learn that folks like her are working toward more fully developing and sharing the histories of Mexican-origin communities.

Along with networking opportunities, serving as graduate student staff also exposed me to the on-the-ground work that made the WHA conference possible. Shania Lopez-Cabrera created a welcoming and well-organized environment for graduate students who staffed the conference. She also made sure that graduate staff were aware of free food and books that were available to us. For someone just being introduced to the broader world of academic conferences, my involvement as a graduate staff member opened me up to connecting with people and scholars dedicated to their respective fields of study and dedicated to ensuring smooth operations of the WHA conference.

Supported by the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University, the Graduate Student Workshop was another meaningful activity that I had the opportunity to be involved in. I met passionate archivists who were more than enthusiastic about sharing their knowledge, expertise, and resources in support of my research and the research of fellow graduate students. Hannah Abelbeck, Libby Trones, and Dylan McDonald even sent follow up correspondence about funding resources to the affinity group I was part of for the workshop.

I also got the chance to meet fellow graduate students through the Graduate Student Workshop. Their passion and approaches to their work motivate me and push me to reconsider how to frame and approach my research. I was particularly interested in listening to Bethany Bass and Kara Culp about their research projects on the educational histories of Black and Brown communities in Texas. Their work connects with histories I hope to further understand; part of my research involves considerations of how children of migrant farm-working families experienced education. Overall, I felt that participating in the Graduate Student Workshop was immensely beneficial to me. I am grateful to the workshop organizers who put together the “Education, schools, desegregation, and policy” affinity group for the workshop.

Along with new people I met at the WHA conference, I had the opportunity to spend time with people close to home and to rekindle past working connections with folks who are part of my origin communities. I presented on the panel “Community Across Borders: Pan-Latino Histories in a Vast West” with Jonathan Angulo—whose thorough research and kind questions made me think through ways I could improve my own work. I had time to have lunch with faculty from my home department at Washington State University (WSU)—Dr. L Heidenreich, Dr. Iván González-Soto, and Dr. Shiloh Green-Soto. I had coffee with a former work colleague, Dr. Jerry Garcia. My time with Dr. Garcia turned toward a conversation about potential archival donations to WSU’s Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections. Rekindling previous connections while fostering new ones has led to pathways in building onto the history of Mexican-origin and Latino communities.

Overall, the 65th Annual WHA Conference broadened ideas about what is possible for me as a graduate student in history. Editors at book presses were kind enough to set time aside and discuss with me the steps and long processes that authors and presses take to publish books. If I had not attended the conference, I most likely would not consider the possibility of publishing the work that I set out to do. I feel that my participation and involvement at the conference opened potential pathways, collaborations, and conversations with people I would otherwise not have had the chance to meet. I hope to cross paths with folks I met at this conference in the future and to continue our conversations. I appreciate the experience of attending the WHA conference and thank the WHA Graduate Student Prize Committee for allowing me to attend. I am hopeful to attend next year’s conference in Portland!