Question 1

Think of one element of your origin that you have been carrying in silence, not because it is shameful but because the new context did not seem to have a place for it. What is the name of that thing? *(Listening for: the suppressed origin detail that still carries warmth or meaning, the thing put down out of efficiency rather than necessity.)*

Question 2

Where in your current life do you experience friction between where you came from and where you are? Is that friction productive, or has it become a habit of self-erasure? *(Listening for: the distinction between adaptive tension and compulsive translation, the code-switching that has become involuntary.)*

Question 3

If you were to describe your origin to someone who had never heard of it, speaking with the same authority with which you describe your professional accomplishments, what would you say? *(Listening for: access to pride versus apology, the register in which the reader holds their own beginning.)*

Question 4

Name one thing your origin gave you that actually helps you do what you do now, even if it cannot be put on a résumé. *(Listening for: the reconnection of origin to competence, the capacity the reader has been using without crediting its source.)*

Question 5

Is there anyone in your life from whom you have been hiding your roots? What would happen if you stopped? *(Listening for: concealment patterns, the relationship contexts that have required the most self-erasure.)*