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How to Thrive in the Workplace When You're a Woman of Color Women of color and children of immigrants have a different experience when climbing the ladder toward success. Throughout her career, bestselling author and MSNBC producer Daniela-Pierre Bravo was driven to land a good job, achieve the American Dream, and make her family proud. As an undocumented immigrant from Chile, she went through her high school and college years in the shadows, working in the back of kitchens and selling cosmetics door-to-door to help her family make ends meet.

When she got called for an internship in New York City, she traveled overnight roundtrip from Ohio to interview in-person to prove her worth and prevent any prejudices or biases about Latinas getting in the way of that opportunity. She moved heaven and earth to be a great employee and not let her undocumented status define her future. Paying close attention to her mostly white and male work environment's cues, she adapted her fashion style and vocabulary, being careful not to mispronounce words, to gain inclusion.

Eventually she was able to flourish at her company and rise through the ranks. When she became a DACA recipient, she finally felt that she'd made it. But then she hit a wall. Daniela realized that she'd been living in survival mode and was overcompensating to prove her worth. She associated this as much with growing up undocumented as she did with her identity as a child of immigrants.