Lily Sanchez, 29, was born in the Rome, Georgia, but feels like she has a foot in two countries.
Sanchez, communications manager at La Paz Chattanooga, moved to the Dominican Republic with her mother and siblings when she was 10 years old and lived there until she was 17.
"(In the DR) I was told that I spoke Spanish with a Southern accent," Sanchez says.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga graduate says she now feels on the leading edge of an emerging multicultural generation here in the Scenic City.
In her work for La Paz, an organization that supports Latino inclusion in the Chattanooga area, Sanchez is often cast as a storyteller -- through social media, videos and photography -- to help immigrants and first generation Americans find their voices and tell their stories.
"I wanted to be a journalist, but I pivoted; and my master's (degree) was in public interest communication -- building campaigns and doing social change work for nonprofits," she says.
Just out of college, she worked for the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga and got an education in non-profit and advocacy work. At UTC, she had been the Spanish language editor for Echo, the student newspaper, and was introduced to La Paz through the student press. When a chance to work there popped up, she was all in.
Sanchez says that her biggest challenge in life has been embracing her Latino culture while also assimilating culturally back into her birth country, the United States, as a young adult.
"Lots of children of immigrants talk about how they don't feel like they are from the place that they live, but they also don't feel like the place they are from," she says. "I felt in limbo for a long time. It was wasn't until I started working at La Paz that I understood myself and my place in the community and my identity as far as my culture.
"The answer is, I don't have to choose (a heritage). I can be both."
Sanchez says another part of her growth was participating in Leadership Chattanooga. She is May graduate of the program.
Seeing how Chattanooga works from the inside out has helped her know that this is where she wants to be, at least for now, she says. She found common purpose with other young leaders who are trying to help the city improve and grow.
"Before I began (Leadership Chattanooga) I wasn't sure that Chattanooga was the place that I saw myself long-term," she says. "(But now) Even though Chattanooga is not my hometown, it's home for me."
At La Paz, Sanchez says she is particularly interested in helping Latino-American teenagers navigate their education and career choices. She says lots of the teens have immigrant parents who perhaps don't understand and encourage all of their options.
"These kids have to figure this out for themselves at 17," she says. "At La Paz, we are trying to find long-term solutions."
In the meantime, Sanchez says that five years into her role at La Paz, she feels like it's been a good fit for her.
"I'm so fulfilled with being able to get paid to do what I've wanted to do, and what feels right to me and aligns with my values," she says.