Lakisha Parish-Lias is an experienced educator of 23 years. Lakisha began her journey when she attended Southern Methodist University as a first-generation college student. As a child of a teenage mother, Lakisha had to quickly learn the way out of poverty was through education. While in college she became pregnant, but she was determined to complete her degree to achieve her future dreams. She began her career as a 7th grade reading teacher in an underserved neighborhood in the southern sector of Dallas, TX. She decided she really wanted to teach high school and was awarded that opportunity when she began her extensive career as an ESL teacher. There she found her passion for ELL student learning. She became deeply involved with helping other students from other countries navigate the English language as well as American culture. There she learned the importance of advocacy in education. A few years ago, Lakisha became a college, career, military readiness coach. This allowed her to delve into the world of post-secondary education. Here she found that many first-generation college students had no idea how to navigate getting into college and staying in to graduate. Many of her students' parents had no idea what to ask the colleges to help their students. The were not sure how to navigate the process for the sake of their college student. Students were not sure where to find resources to help them complete their college journey. Lakisha Parish-Lias has dedicated her life to advocating for students who want to go to college and want to succeed. She knows what it is like to be a first-generation college student and not sure how to proceed to an uncertain future. Her goal is to help you to know what you don't know.