In this powerful roundtable discussion, five optometrists and one optometry student share their stories of the pressures of being first-generation Americans in optometry school and how and why representation matters. Hear from moderator Ruth Shoge, OD, MPH,  FAAO,  Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at University of California Berkeley; Camille Cohen, OD,  a Pearle Vision licensed operator in  Brooklyn, New York; Damaris Raymondi, OD, of New York City, social media influencer and podcaster;  Sathi Maiti, OD, a clinical research fellow at Periman Eye Institute in Seattle, Washington; Monique Mohammed, OD, MS, who is currently an ocular disease and primary care optometry resident; and Nia Ebrahim, a student at State University of New York College of Optometry student.