I am a light! And so are you...

I'm traveling to the beautiful southern region of my country, and as I watch the smooth hills lined up against the sunset -so typical of Chile- I have a wonderful opportunity to think of all that has inspired me to become the woman I am today.

I come from an exiled family, a family that chose to leave their country in times of dictatorship due to their political views. My story begins long before my birth: it begins with my parents' story and their parents' story. It begins with my indigenous bloodline fighting off the Spaniards and the long list of “mestizos” born of unwanted unions. It continues with the tedious plight of women in my country, their recent suffrage in 1949, and their continuous struggle against domestic violence.

But my story is most importantly cemented with my parents' personal struggles, their poverty stricken childhood, their lack of higher education, and their flee from the only life they ever knew. I was born in Canada to parents that came to this world knowing what the words “perseverance” and “survival” mean. And though I have had the blessing to travel to many different places, my life is forever marked by who my parents are.

As I travel to the heart of my country after 3 years abroad, I remember why I left in the first place: to learn more about the world and come back to strengthen our people. I left a girl and return a woman. And because I come from a family where struggle is internalized and melancholy is standard, my passion has turned to those who understand these concepts most intimately: woman.

I met Jensine Larsen at Omega institute in the year 2010 thanks to a scholarship I was blessed to receive. The Women and Power Conference not only assured me of something I had been scared to admit for so long -the fact that us women actually possess a power that has been largely untapped- but also showed me first hand what the passion of one woman can do for the rest of us. Thanks to the conference I not only began to express my thoughts more openly, but currently am working on a project in my country that directly addresses women's empowerment. I want the women in my country to own their power and express it fully. I want the women of the world to believe in themselves. I want us to use our voices to change the world, in every encounter, in every conversation. My dream is not only to raise my own voice, but to inspire others to raise theirs. Voices of Our Future allows me to dream my dream to the fullest and inspires me to continue my journey with confidence in myself and passion. Knowing there is a platform where I can express myself and access dreams across the world is enough for me to continue walking toward my dream!