Nicolas Fuentes, engineer, data scientist, and TEDx speaker, shares his story of growing up as a Colombian immigrant in the United States and a first-generation college graduate. In this conversation, we explore the invisible weight of growing up between systems, languages, and legal realities, and how learning to have difficult conversations can quite literally save your life.

From his parents’ sacrifices to the anxiety of living with long-term uncertainty, Nick reflects on identity, resilience, and why this life is for people who are brave.In this episode, we talk about:🎙️ Growing up as an immigrant without fully understanding your legal status🎙️ Being first-generation and navigating imposter syndrome🎙️ Living with uncertainty and not being able to leave the country🎙️ Anxiety passed down from immigrant parents🎙️ The professional sacrifices immigrant parents make🎙️ Being “too Latino” for some spaces and “too American” for others🎙️ Difficult conversations that change the direction of your life🎙️ Technology, artificial intelligence, and what can never be automated🎙️ Why using your voice is also a form of resistanceTimestamps00:00:00 – Intro00:03:10 – Growing up between cultures and expectations00:04:06 – The difficult conversations that saved his life00:07:46 – Being an immigrant and the mental limits we carry00:10:35 – Learning the “corporate language” as a Latino00:14:06 – Growing up as the outlier00:17:35 – The decision to migrate and family sacrifice00:21:57 – The moment you realize you’re an immigrant00:26:06 – When everything changes00:30:11 – Not being able to return to Colombia00:33:10 – Using your voice as a tool for change00:35:06 – Being the oldest child of immigrant parents00:42:02 – Mourning the dreams your parents left behind00:49:25 – Not staying where you started00:50:54 – Advice for young Latinos and first-generation students🎧 This episode is for immigrants, children of immigrants, first-generation students, and anyone who had to grow up too fast—and learn how to face conversations that are uncomfortable, but transformative.Connect with Nick:Instagram: @_nickfacts https://www.instagram.com/_nickfacts/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickfuentes/Support DOCE:Instagram: doce.podcast https://www.instagram.com/doce.podcast/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/all/?heroEntityKey=urn%3Ali%3Aorganization%3A106231328&keywords=DOCE%20Podcast&origin=ENTITY_SEARCH_HOME_HISTORY&sid=.2BFor sponsorship inquiries email us at emeraldedgepro@gmail.com, subject line: SPONSORSHIP