Stories of a Fearless Trailblazer
The lived experience of first-generation women is layered with pressure, stress, and often unspoken trauma, but also rich with resilience, courage, and triumph. We carry the weight of learning, navigating, and teaching all at once. We strive to fulfill the dreams of our loved ones while honoring cultural traditions and navigating expectations. We experience it all, and yet, we rise. At Generation Fearless, we believe in the power of storytelling to inspire, connect, and transform.
A Mini Anthology:
Six Stories. Six Defining Questions.
Coming March 2026
This collection centers the voices of first-generation women, trailblazers, and culture-shapers through short stories that reflect truth, transformation, and tenacity. Each writer selects one defining question as the heart of their narrative, opening a window into identity, growth, and becoming.
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From origin stories and quiet reckonings to legacy, survival, and purpose, this anthology invites bold storytelling rooted in lived experience. Together, these six stories will reflect the many ways first-generation women rise, rewrite, and reclaim their power.
Overview
We’re inviting six first-generation women to craft personal narratives that explore resilience, self-definition, and legacy. Each story (1,500–2,500 words) will respond to one of six defining questions:
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What is your origin story—the moment or place that shaped who you are?
The seed story—memory, sacrifice, geography, or disruption that sparked your becoming. -
What’s one moment where you felt unseen or profoundly seen in a space meant to serve you?
A reflection on belonging, power, and the spaces that honor or erase our presence. -
What story did you once tell yourself that you’ve since rewritten?
A journey of confronting old narratives about worth, identity, or capability, and replacing them with truth. -
Who did you have to become to surviveand who are you now becoming to thrive?
An exploration of growth, boundaries, and the shift from survival to intentional living. -
What truth did you have to confront in order to grow?
A pivotal moment of reckoning with self, environment, or relationship that sparked transformation. -
Where do your roots begin, and how have they shaped who you are today?
An honoring of ancestral threads, culture, and generational strength that inform your path.
This is more than a writing project; it’s a collective act of reflection, healing, and bold self-expression.
Each selected contributor will receive coaching, editorial feedback, and the opportunity to be published and celebrated in a printed and digital collection.
Our Timeline
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July 2025~Call for Writers Opens
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August 2025~In-Person Kickoff & Creative Workshop (Northern, NJ)
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September 2025~Virtual Outline Feedback Session
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October 15, 2025~First Drafts Due
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November 2025~Editorial Feedback Delivered
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December 2025~In-Person Revision Retreat (Northern, NJ)
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January 15, 2026~Final Manuscripts + Author Bios Due
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February 2026~Proofing, Design, & Advance Copies
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March 2026~Official Book Launch + Reading Celebration (Northern, NJ)
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Meet Our Writing Coach: Hope Coppinger
This project is guided by the brilliant and generous Hope Coppinger, a writer, coach, and creative thought partner who thrives on bold questions and imaginative possibilities. Hope Coppinger loves a creative challenge, a great question, and a chance to play. As a writer and a writing coach, her experience, imagination, and wide-ranging curiosity all enable her to ask questions from fresh perspectives, see problems from new angles, and help individuals and organizations develop writing that is both authentic and moving. She combines her strategic skills and love of language with spontaneity and creativity, making for a playful approach to any project.
Hope is committed to helping individuals and organizations identify, clarify and amplify their stories in order to build a stronger sense of community and belonging. Having worked in nonprofit and higher ed communications for over twenty years, Hope has a wide range of experience with engaging audiences through direct mail, web content, video and social media. Her short fiction has been published in North Dakota Quarterly, Bluestem Magazine, Qwerty, and The Platform Review. Her degrees in education and creative writing have helped her develop into a thoughtful listener, and an observant supporter for people and organizations seeking to develop their writing and elevate their communications.
Our Stories
We would love to share your story as part of our mission to empower and uplift first-generation women everywhere. Share how you have used your identity and experiences as a first-generation woman to create change and uplift your community, or what does it mean to be a fearless first-generation leader, and how have you turned your challenges into purpose-driven impact?
Your journey has power. Let’s use it to light the way for others.
Alejandra Carbajal
As a first-generation Latina, I have had the privilege of navigating higher education and professionalism through resilience. My journey started in community college, where I discovered the opportunities that education could provide for upward mobility. Today I am proud to share that I have used my experiences to help other first-gen students succeed through their own journies of being first. I have worked in the nonprofit sector in career readiness roles for four years and led recruitment efforts in the last two years. In my roles I started with adults reentering the workforce, then high school students, and now college students, all with the goal of supporting others' support to access opportunities for their own economic mobility.
Jessica Lomelin
As a proud first-generation Mexican-American woman, my journey has been shaped by the resilience and sacrifices of my parents, who taught me the value of hard work, dignity, and service. For many years, I carried the weight of not fully belonging, navigating two cultures, two languages, and the pressure to succeed in spaces where I was often the “first” or the “only.” What once felt like a challenge, I’ve transformed into my greatest strength.
Today, I lead with that identity at the heart of everything I do. As a licensed social worker and Director of Human Trafficking Collaborative Services, I use my lived experience to build programs that center survivors, uplift marginalized voices, and challenge systemic barriers. Being first-generation means I am not only breaking cycles but also building bridges for my community, for survivors, and for the next generation of women who deserve to see themselves in leadership.
To me, being a fearless first-generation leader is about turning pain into power, silence into advocacy, and barriers into opportunities for change. My story is proof that what we carry, the struggles, the sacrifices, and the dreams, can become the fire that lights the way for others.
Juliana Londoño
Hi! I am Juliana Londoño (she/her/ella) and I am a proud Latina, bilingual & licensed mental health therapist! I recognize I am in a field dominated by white, cis-gender females and with theories developed by white, cis-gender males. I wanted to become a therapist to be the person I did not have growing up. Representation matters, especially in the mental health field. Only about 10% of all mental health professionals across the country even speak Spanish, yet Latinos are the largest minority in the US. I started my own business to bridge the gap between mental health and the Latino/BIPOC communities. Through education, awareness, and resources, I hope to help start and/or shift the conversations about mental health. I heard this quote during my undergraduate experience: "I may be the first, but I will not be the last." Being fearless oftentimes represents being the first, but I will make sure to uplift my community and give them a seat at my table.
Rosa Zaremba
Rosa Zaremba is a trailblazing first-generation Latina with a passion for education and community empowerment. Raised in a vibrant neighborhood, Rosa witnessed the transformative impact education could have on individuals and their families. This exposure ignited a deep desire to create positive change in her community, laying the foundation for her remarkable journey.
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After completing her education at Kean University, she became the first person in her family to attend college. Throughout her academic journey, she encountered numerous challenges, but her determination and resilience served as driving forces to overcome them.
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Upon graduating, Rosa's commitment to making education accessible to all led her to found an educational nonprofit organization named "Inspira NJ." The organization's mission is to be a catalyst for positive change by providing educational services that work to empower and support social-economic upward mobility through the power of higher education by offering services to underserved New Jersey students, as well as the community at large. Rosa's visionary leadership and ability to connect with stakeholders earned Inspira widespread recognition and support from the Russ Berrie Unsought Hero Award, PBS, and StoryCorps.
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In parallel to her nonprofit work, Rosa also dedicated herself to the public and nonprofit sectors, gaining invaluable experience over nine years. She worked closely with local government agencies and collaborated with other nonprofit organizations to advocate for change, equality, and equity.
Rosa's journey as a first-generation Latina, nonprofit founder, and public service advocate has been nothing short of inspiring. Her unwavering commitment to improving educational opportunities for underserved communities has left an indelible mark, and her work continues to be a beacon of hope and empowerment for countless individuals striving for a brighter future.
