In December of 2021, Catherine & myself visited my family's hometown of Villa Vasquez, Dominican Republic. 

Upon conversation with my grandma, lifelong teacher and education pioneer, Irene "Marito" Polanco, we were inspired to tell her story about love and the trajectory of her career. We nicknamed it "The Grandma Project". 

While researching and thinking about how to tell this story, we discussed the similarities between our families especially their shared conviction that education fosters home and community. 

With this in mind, our project expanded and we decided to tell a much bigger story of family, immigration, education, community, and love. Diasporic Intimacies as a collective began with that story.