My name is Briseida Ayala, and I am a first-year Master of Occupational Therapy student at the University of Washington. I grew up in Prescott, Washington, a rural community where I lived on the very orchard where both of my parents worked. At the age of 13, I began working alongside them and experienced the high physical demands of this job firsthand. For every summer since, I have returned to the orchards and warehouses, gaining a unique “insider” perspective on the chronic pain and untreated musculoskeletal injuries that define the lives of so many Latinx/e workers. This lived experience inspired my desire and commitment to bridging the gap between specialized rehabilitative medicine and our essential workforce. As a future Occupational Therapist, I plan to specialize in hand therapy, specifically designing preventative ergonomics and health programs tailored for Spanish-speaking farm and warehouse workers. My first goal will be to move healthcare “into the fields,” in hopes of tearing down the barriers of language and institutional distrust to ensure the next generation of workers’ health and life can both thrive. My journey from the orchards to graduate school is more than a personal milestone to me; I view it as a powerful tool for community empowerment. I aim to contribute to transforming the current health system, which often overlooks/invalidates Latinx/e experiences, into one that protects their health and honors their labor.