The Trinity Valley Community College Civics Division is excited to present Untold Stories: Experiences of Success Despite Struggle featuring three individuals who overcame hardships for their passions to help others in need.

Untold Stories: Experiences of Success Despite Struggle will be presented on Monday, February 12 at 10 a.m. to noon in the TVCC Pauline Knight Perkins Auditorium.  The event is free and open to the public.

“We kicked around what to call the event and it’s really a way to offer an alternative voice and an alternative story that often doesn’t get told,” TVCC Professor of History Rob Risko said. “That’s really the point. A lot of students don’t encounter too many people that are just like them. It’s an opportunity to hear an alternative story.”

Untold Stories will feature:

Cessilye R. Smith, Founder and CEO of Abide Women's Health Services. Smith founded the organization to improve birth outcomes in communities with the lowest quality of care by offering healthcare and complimentary services that are easily accessible, holistic, evidence based and free from judgment. Smith has also used her platform to advocate for racial and maternal justice.

Do’wal Sehi or Sunshine (in English) is an indigenous educator and resistance artist from the Karankawa Kadla Hawk Clan. She currently works as a Specialist for a health and wellness resort where she is inspired by Karankawa spirituality and ideology.

Pastor Isabel Marquez serves a role as the Associate Pastor at Oak Lawn United Methodist Church; the Lead Pastor of Gracia Viva church plant, a unique and inclusive Spanish congregation with a special focus on the LGBTQ community; and site coordinator at the Dallas Responds Welcoming Center, a center offering a smooth transition for individuals and families seeking asylum.

“They’re [each] bringing something unique,” Risko shared. “They all bring something that will peak someone’s interest in some sort of way. It’s hard to choose from the three which is the most interesting.”