I am an assistant professor at New Mexico State University; however, the path to getting to this position has been about crossing borders, about learning in and from the borderlands. The borderlands that my body has had to cross, physically and figuratively, have left many "heridas abiertas" (open wounds) but have also provided me with knowledge. The pain and struggles are constant reminders of the collisions that happen between "el primer y tercer mundo" and how these experiences leave open wounds. The inextricable relationship between Mexico and the US is deepened as Mexicanos like me are forced to come to "El Norte," whether by choice or brought by parents. At almost 11 years old, my life changed--I crossed, with the help of a coyote, into Los Angeles, California. In the US, xenophobic spaces and actions have influenced and shaped my epistemologies and my awareness/"conocimiento" about navigating anti-immigrant spaces. This "conocimiento" was affirmed by and informs my teaching and research. This acute awareness, "facultad" (Anzaldúa, 1987), and use of these teaching tools are what I term pedagogical border crossings.