Accompanying a Nepantlera Border Artist’s Empathy: One Mexican Teen’s Testimonios of Healing, Empowerment, and Transformation

In this case study, the author showcases a Mexican teen’s testimonios, crossing borders through poetry and art. The author grounds this work within Anzaldúa’s nepantla (in‐between space) and nepantlera border artist notions and draws from Sepúlveda’s pedagogy of acompañamiento (accompaniment). During a larger project, the author, a former teacher, reunited with former elementary students the summer before 10th grade. The author focuses on one participant, Valeria, and her nepantlera border artist empathy, revealing her embodied experiences over time. The author seeks to show how acompañamiento coupled with testimonios creates apertures across time. Implications include a teacher’s acompañamiento in establishing creative nepantla spaces outside of traditional educational structures. This fosters confianza (trust) to express testimonios, uncovering a holistic understanding of students’ lives. Testimonios in this study promote healing, empowerment, and transformation amid various modalities for students in the educational system, creatively enhancing teachers’ literacy instruction.