Lucia Lucas

Don’t sacrifice your identity for your career or your dream: I thought I had to choose between my identity and my dream; when I chose my identity, my dream didn’t disappear. Perhaps the path to my dream was made more difficult, but the journey has been more fulfilling.

Belief in anything, including yourself is very powerful: Yes, belief in something greater than yourself, is powerful. I encourage people not to leave their destiny up to fate. If you think that everything happens for a reason, the past is more accessible to accept, but you must believe you can affect your future.

If you’ve lost your confidence, you’ve lost everything: It is essential in any field to protect your confidence, especially when approaching an important event. There will be time for reflection and reassessment, but at the moment, you must stay confidently on track.

Excelling in a field while overcoming prejudice: It is important to find tools and training to be your most competitive self. Your competitive skills are your most valuable assets when confronted with identity-based prejudices.

Not asking for permission or forgiveness to live authentically: When you ask people how they feel about your decision to live authentically, you are putting power in their hands. I encourage people to be insistent and persistent in their identity and how they want to be addressed.

You don’t owe it to anyone to explain your identity: You don’t owe anyone any explanation or have to validate your identity or journey to anyone. Your medical records are no one else's business.

Knowing when to say something: It is essential to journal everything in case you need to protect yourself. It is also a choice to move onto a new job, and sometimes it is the right choice.