Saludos! I’m Edeli T. (formerly known as Amy V), but you can call me ‘E’. I prefer gender neutral pronouns such as They/Them pero I don’t mind He or She or any other pronouns you feel inclined to use for me.
I would like to share a bit about myself and my [academic, professional, Spiritual] journey up until this point in order to give a bit of context as to why I am the way I am and why I do what I do. I may not share every particular detail of each of the major phases of my life, but I’ll share the ones I feel were major turning points or stepping stones for the following phase.
Childhood & Early Life – Miami, FL
I come from very humble beginnings. I was born in Miami – part of the rightful ancestral lands of the Indigenous Calusa and Tequesta people and current Sovereign homelands of the Miccosukee and Seminole Natives – where my younger sister and I were raised by our single mother. My family were originally farmers from un campo on the island of Kiskeya, also known as Dominican Republic – the ancestral homeland of my Indigenous Taíno people and the place where my love and appreciation for Nature and Madre Gaia really blossomed.
I’ve always felt more at home outside and around animals than I do around people, just because of how sensitive I am to other’s energy (which may not always be the most kind or positive vibe). And as I grew more into my Spirituality over the years, I realized that my connection to Nature also serves as a gateway and a foundation for me to connect to Source, my Ancestors, and to the rest of the [Divine] Spiritual realm.
Eventually, my love for animals and nature would lead me to volunteer at Zoo Miami as a high school student, where I was first exposed to wildlife conservation. Working at the zoo, learning, and teaching visitors about endangered species and environmental stewardship was what inspired me to want to study the environment and learn of ways I could help save the planet from the destruction humans cause.
Undergraduate Experience – Medford, MA
So I went on to get a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies and Biopsychology in Medford, MA – the unceded and rightful lands of the Massachusett and Wampanoag Native peoples. I got my first experience in research as an undergraduate research assistant in a pigeon cognition lab, and was exposed to the world of social justice and activism as I took part in some of the first Black Lives Matter demonstrations on and around campus. This exposure would finally help me overcome the internalized anti-Blackness that was ingrained in me by my Dominican family and culture – a culture and country that has been heavily influenced by the [racist] sentiments and policies of past colonizers and the US.
During this time I also decided to leave the religious institution that I had grown up in because I could not tolerate the church’s lack of acknowledgement and support for the plight of my Black and Brown kin. This would also mark the beginning of my own [very personal] Spiritual journey, as I searched to make sense of my understanding and connection to Source and the Divine outside of organized religion.
As an undergraduate, I also experienced my first micro- and macro-aggressions at the hands of white men. I was asked whether I spoke a different language because of my “accent” – mind you I was born and raised in the US. I was made fun of by one of my advisors for my informal manner of speaking (I said ‘cuz’ instead of ‘because’), and I was flat out told by another advisor that I wouldn’t get into the Master’s program I was considering applying to (which I did end up being admitted to and attending). All of this is just to show how hostile and unsupportive this ‘prestigious’ institution ended up being towards me and other students of Color as well.
The summer before my senior year, I studied abroad for a couple of months at The School for Field Studies in Tanzania. Here, I saw firsthand the arrogance of the white “saviors” who come to countries, like those in the Mother Land, to impose their outsider views and pass judgements with no real understanding or consideration of the Native people, their culture, or their experiential and ancestral wisdom.
But I also discovered my love for field work and wildlife ecology after riding through the Ngorongoro Crater, camping out in the Serengeti, and observing the magnificent beauty of the nature and wildlife in Tanzania.
Overall, I would describe my experience in Tanzania as very ethereal and dreamy. I grew up watching National Geographic and Animal Planet on TV almost religiously as a child. But never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that I would get the opportunity to visit the African wildlife in the majestic grasslands that I had seen on television. So to this day, that whole trip still feels like a dream because of how incredibly magical the whole experience was for me. And I am so immensely grateful for the experience and time I got to spend in Tanzania.
Master of Science – Los Angeles, CA
It was because of my exposure to wildlife ecology and fieldwork in Tanzania that I went on to study avian ecology during my Master’s program at California State University, Los Angeles – which resides on the ancestral and rightful lands of the Tongva people. My project was aimed at looking at how bird communities in LA urban parks changed based on neighborhood income and based on the amount of vegetation and building cover in and around the parks. If you would like to read more about this project, the paper is cited in my CV (posted on this page).
This research project was also my first introduction to urban ecology, which I discovered was the ideal discipline for me since it is a very intersectional field where I could combine my passions of being in and observing nature and exposing socio-environmental justice issues in my community through research.
In LA, my Spirituality also really started to bloom as I delved into consciousness-expanding substances and spent countless hours outside in Nature (almost on a daily basis). I was exposed to the world of tarot by one of my very close friends, and we started learning about and discussing our magical, ancestral legacies and Nature-based Spirituality.
I also became aware of many of my major [current and past-life] karmic lessons and began to heal these wounds during this time. Some of the themes and major lessons of my particular Spiritual journey were that of Self-Love, Self-Empowerment, and radical Self-Acceptance.
Being diagnosed for Autism in LA also helped a lot with this self-acceptance. So much of my life was put into perspective after the diagnosis, and it made it much easier for me to accept the parts of myself that I had been extremely self-conscious about in the past as a result of misunderstandings and misperceptions by the people around me. It also allowed me to begin “unmasking” – which is a term used in the Autistic community to describe the process of dropping the “masks” we instinctively put on throughout our lives to try to fit in as “normal” within a society that rejects our neurodivergent traits and mannerisms.
It was also in LA where I began to more fully immerse myself in the queer community, where I felt a comradery and a kinship like none other. After attending my first Pride parade in LA, I realized that the reason I felt so ‘at home’ and so free within the LGBTQIA+ community was because I was queer myself – because this was my community too. This was another hugely validating realization and experience that allowed me to step even further into my true self with unapologetic confidence, especially as my queer identity continued to evolve and mature in the following years.
Dr. to Be – Baltimore, MD
After LA, I moved on to a PhD program in Earth and Planetary Science in Baltimore – the unceded, ancestral lands of the Susquehannock and Piscataway Conoy Tribes. Here I had hoped to expand my urban ecology knowledge and experience by studying other forms of urban Life. I began studying plant communities in residential yards [of varying socio-economic backgrounds] across Baltimore and was in the process of starting a new passion project where I would be looking at the interacting plant and soil microbe communities of vacant lots in predominantly Black neighborhoods across Baltimore City.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see my vacant lots project through. After being ill-advised, discriminated against, psychologically bullied, and scape-goated by my [main] advisor (a white woman), and being subjected to Spiritual abuse and manipulation by some of my peers (also white women), I decided to leave this toxic environment with another Master’s [instead of a PhD] for the sake of my Peace and well-being. Needless to say, it’s a long story.
In hindsight, my entire experience in academia taught me that I don’t need a credential, degree, or ‘licensed professional’ to tell me that I’m ‘allowed’ to study Nature or how to use my knowledge, skills, and gifts – I will use them how and when I see fit. So I made it my mission to use my skills, gifts, knowledge, and experience to help Mother Earth and my people instead of using them for the benefit of the oppressor (and to my own detriment).
My experience also confirmed to me just how toxic and exclusionary academia, or the ivory tower, is of people like me. But, I also noticed that there are bright spots amid the darkness of academia. While my experience in the “elite” institutions I attended as an undergraduate and PhD student were nothing short of traumatic, discriminatory, and stifling, I had the opposite experience at Cal State LA1 – a minority serving institution. Here I was allowed to thrive and grow academically and professionally like never before. I received the support, encouragement, and resources I needed to truly step into my scientific abilities with a confidence I didn’t have before then.
And this just goes to show how invaluable institutions like Cal State LA are for those of us who don’t fit into academia’s preferred demographic group of “neurotypical”, “white”, or “wealthy”. So as much as academics love to tout ‘Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’ (just as my PhD advisor and department did), it is clear to me that academia is still a very racist, classist, and ableist institution that values clout and prestige over the inclusion, development, and success of students from diverse backgrounds and ability.
While in Baltimore, my Spirituality also evolved and flourished as I developed a closer relationship to my Ancestors and tapped into my ancestral and past-life wisdom. It was in my search for external love that I learned to believe in and Love myself fiercely and unconditionally, and this in turn attracted some of my most beautiful and cherished connections. But this confidence and radical Self-Love also elicited a lot of envy and malicious intent by others around me who I had believed were my friends and genuine supporters.
Still, it was because of the unconditional Love that I had developed for myself that I learned to Love all others despite their human flaws. And it was on this path that my magnificently Divine power was revealed to me. I discovered just how strong, courageous, and radiant I could be all on my own and with the help and Love of Source and the Divine Spiritual realm (which were with me every step of the way).
Tying It All Together – Miami, FL & Beyond
After leaving my PhD program, I [reluctantly] made my way back home to Miami. Here I began the arduous endeavor of self-healing while simultaneously working to start a business in which I could use my expertise in Spiritual and environmental matters to help make the world a brighter and Lighter place than what it currently is. I also stepped more fully into my artistic abilities, using it as a mode of [self-]healing and creative expression of ideas, thoughts, and stories.
As an autistic, Afro-Dominican, queer-femme, I’ve experienced a large share of the darkness that makes living in today’s world so suffocating and Life-draining. I’ve spent countless hours healing from the harm caused by systems of oppression and from the actions of individuals who consciously or unconsciously seek to uphold today’s destructive ‘status quo’. And I’ve had to develop immense courage, self-compassion, and a strong sense of purpose to continue to progress past obstacles along my Spiritual and professional journey.
My experiences have shown me the great need for society to evolve to become more understanding, welcoming, and supportive of diverse and uniquely talented groups of people — especially Queer, diffabled, People of Color. It is because of this that I now work to help heal, encourage, and uplift those who have been similarly harmed, overlooked, and underestimated by society.
My aim is to help displace the harmful and stifling societal conditioning (i.e. mentalities) that keeps many of us stuck, unwell, and unhappy. And I intend for my continued perseverance and success to be an inspiration and a reminder to others of their own ability to pursue and accomplish their dreams and passions in life. In the process, I hope to show that — even amid all the darkness — we can still find Light shining in the most unexpected places.
It is to this end that Angelic Musings y Virtudes was born.
1 Even though the institution itself was more supportive, there were still faculty here who upheld the harmful mindsets and tendencies predominant in academia as a whole. That is to say, conditions here could have been better too.