"My name is Alicia Garcia, I am a Colorado native, born and raised. I grew up in a small town in southern Colorado (Trinidad), went to school in the west side of Denver CO (Presentation of our lady Catholic) during the weekdays, and went to College in Denver and Boulder CO (University of Colorado). Being from a small-town lifestyle, I spent the weekends with my dad and grandpa Garcia shooting trap, plinking with my dad’s Ruger Mark IV 22L, or doing something outdoors like fishing or camping. When I was in the city, my grandpa Hermosillo would take me on the bus to the Santa Fe art district to commune with local Chicano artists and activists such as Carlotta Espinoza and the mestizos he had befriended in his journeys. I learned early on from all the men in my life that I am precious and rare, that my voice is powerful and worth using, my ancestors are royalty and warriors of this land, and I am meant to be a leader. I had a strong presence of masculine men in my life; my grandparents, my uncles, my brother, my stepdad, and my father. I was a pretty independent child, walking home from school or taking the public bus (the RTD aka the ‘rough tough, and dangerous) home. My dad was not fond of this, so he used to sneak my knives at a young age that looked like pens or lipstick and he would tell me to keep them in my hand at all times. He educated me on the dangers of the real world pretty early, he used to tell me, “dad would always be here for you, dad is your protector, but sometimes dad can’t always be with you, so you have to learn to protect yourself.” This leads to more trigger time with my dad at the range or shooting on our family’s land in Hoehne, Colorado"