This beautifully crafted autobiography is a testament to the resilience, courage, and boundless compassion of an individual who turned her immigrant journey into a life of service and inspiration. Through its pages, readers witness the transformative power of education and advocacy, as well as the unifying strength of a heart dedicated to binding cultures together. This is not just the story of Emma’s remarkable achievements, it's a blueprint for how compassion and determination can create lasting change in our communities and beyond. A must-read for anyone seeking inspiration to make a difference.

Congressman Don Beyer
8th District, Virginia

Beautifully written, Dreams and Shadows: An Immigrant’s Journey chronicles Emma’s remarkable life, from her childhood in embattled Bolivia to her immigration to the United States, arriving in the nation’s capital as a young teenager. As an international student at a Virginia college, she begins her acculturation to American life during one of the most challenging periods in history—the Vietnam War—which would ultimately claim the life of her beloved husband. Through her descriptive prose, Emma draws readers into her journey between the two countries she called home and reveals the profound influences that shaped her life of service and purpose. As she reflects, “The dictators I have worked to overthrow are ignorance, low expectations, and the ways they suppress the human spirit…I still believe that education is the path.

Irma Becerra, Ph.D.
President, Marymount University

Dreams and Shadows is inspiring and compelling reading; but even more, it is a powerful rebuttal to the false and malicious rhetoric that surrounds the issue of immigration today. Emma’s story turns that narrative on its head. It begins with her childhood in Bolivia, the warmth and strength of family that sustains her through unbearable heartbreak, and betrayal. In spite of devastating loss in her adopted country, Emma emerges as a prominent educational leader who makes a significant contribution to [our] understanding of the bicultural experience. A contribution that only an immigrant could make.

Frances Payne, PhD
Author: They Make Us Dangerous, Bolivia 1964-1980

You are so lucky if there is someone like Emma Violand-Sanchez in your community. Emma, an inspiring teacher, found students in her county who desperately needed help—and a uniquely effective way to help them. Her life story is truly beautiful, truly American—and one of a kind. You will love meeting Emma.

Donald Graham
Former Publisher, The Washington Post

Dreams and Shadows is a story of one woman’s remarkable life, a life characterized by passion, commitment, and resilience in the face of grief and struggle. Emma Violand Sanchez’s beautiful and powerful memoir recounts an immigrant’s exceptional journey, not just in becoming an American, but in becoming a force of change and progress and compassion in her community – all while continuing to cherish her roots and her culture. Dreams and Shadows is, in fact, a moving and uniquely American story, told with heartfelt (and at times, heartbreaking) honesty. It will inspire and open hearts, a desperately needed antidote to the times in which we live.

William Mark Habeeb, Ph.D.
Author: Venice Beach, Understanding International Negotiation Theory and Practice

This is a deeply personal account of one woman's remarkable journey from Bolivia to Northern Virginia. Emma Violand-Sanchez has lived a life of service, and her story is a reminder of how much we are all enriched by the presence of immigrants in our midst.

Cecilia Muňoz
Author: More than Ready: Be Strong and Be You . . . and Other Lessons for Women of Color on the Rise

This is an inspiring book by an inspiring woman; necessary reading for anyone who cares about the lives, suffering and dreams of immigrants. At a time when attacks on immigrants are escalating, Emma Violand-Sanchez reminds us that each of us is born with an intelligence that matters, and every person who comes to [the United States] with a dream deserves the chance to flourish.

Debora Seidman
Playwright, Writing Instructor
Author: The Lilac Minyan, Writing the Prayer of your Life

From the halls of a German convent school in Bolivia to the frontlines of educational justice in America's capital, Dr. Emma Violand-Sanchez stands as a living testament that dreams transcend borders and determination reshapes destiny. Her memoir reads like a sacred text of immigrant resilience, where each page pulses with the heartbeat of a mother, educator, and warrior who transformed the impossible into pathways of possibility for countless dreamers….With her founding of the Dream Project, she has not merely documented history—she has [created] a new future where every child's potential finds its wings.

ZAMILAN
Dream Project Alumnus

Dreams and Shadows by Emma Violand-Sánchez presents a deeply moving and personal narrative, tracing her journey from her early years in Bolivia to her current life in Arlington, VA. Through this evocative memoir, Violand-Sánchez delves into profound themes such as family, abandonment, cultural displacement, resilience, identity, suffering, spirituality, and the transformative power of acceptance, culminating in an enduring sense of joy.

Ann A. Kennedy, Ph.D.

This is a remarkable memoir of the long and winding path, beginning more than half a century ago when a teen-aged girl came to the United States from Bolivia, equipped only with amazing courage and resilience. Through shadows and difficulties, Emma Violand-Sanchez would never give up her mission to help other immigrants.

Carolyn Clark Miller
Author: We Also Served: Three Generations Grow Up in the Military

Emma Violand-Sanchez’s Dreams and Shadows: An Immigrant Journey tells of a life anchored on four important pillars: family, service, education, and the author’s bicultural identity. From a very young age, Dr. Violand-Sanchez [was aware of the struggles] of others less fortunate than herself. This is the story… of a woman of open mind and heart, who understands that once you leave your home you will not return as the same person and you will not return to the same place. Dreams and Shadows is a book about the promise and the failures of the American Dream. It is a book that speaks of resilience and the power of love.

Barbara Gitenstein
President Emerita, The College of New Jersey
Author: Portrait of a Presidency: Patterns In My Life as President of the College of New Jersey

In Dreams and Shadows, Emma Violand-Sanchez shares an incredible story of her struggle to avoid losing her Bolivian identity while trying to fit in and succeed as a woman and emigrant to the United States. Despite the shadows of family crises, early widowhood, and the grief of additional losses, she finds her calling as an educator and community leader, and she succeeds beyond her dreams, changing the lives of countless young people also struggling to find their way in an unfamiliar culture….a beautifully written, candid and inspiring story!

Teddi Ahrens
Author: Painting Joy: The Art and Life of Fernando Llort

With Dreams and Shadows: An Immigrant’s Journey, Dr. Emma Violand Sanchez has written a warm and inspiring story of hardship, trauma, faith, and resilience. She has turned personal challenges and uncertainty into triumphs in a career dedicated to affecting the lives of decades of public-school students in Arlington County Virginia. Dr. Violand-Sanchez wrestled her life’s journey from the shadows, and with passion and determination she has lived the life of a public servant with purpose and humility.

Diane Kresh
Director, Arlington Public Library

As an educator, I found this to be a compelling story with many valuable lessons ….. It delves into the intricacies of founding and navigating nonprofits; the challenges of advocating for students, immigrants, and their families; and the complex politics of gender. It highlights the resilience required to survive and break through the glass ceiling, the profound love and support provided by family and close friends, and the spirituality inherent in human nature. A must read!

Evelyn E. Fernández
Educator, writer, and editor Inspired by Joy After Loss

This memoir of a life between Bolivia and the United States…reminds us that global events and political climates heavily impact individuals and our educational settings….Dreams and Shadows is relatable to immigrants who have a unique identity of not being from here nor there….[It clearly shows]…how we as a society can better support our children by creating more cooperative education settings where everyone’s intelligence and talents are fully realized.

Atif Qarni
Former Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Virginia

Emma’s memoir takes [readers] on an inspiring journey that rekindles the hearts of those who carry multiple cultural identities. The twists and turns of her story made me cry, laugh, and, most importantly, remember some truly empowering moments in our fight for immigrant rights. [Her book] is like a big hug filled with consejos [advice] and wisdom.

Lizzette Arias
Immigrant rights advocate and Dream Project co-founder

[Dreams and Shadows]… is a poignant exploration of love, loss, and resilience in the face of unimaginable grief and transformation. Emma’s story invites readers to reflect on their own capacity for healing and to find strength amid [their own] lifequakes….It is a groundbreaking exploration of bicultural identity and educational equity; an inspiring call to embrace cultural diversity as a strength and to reimagine education as a path to belonging and success for all.

Giancarla Rojas
Dream Project Alumna

Emma’s story is a breathtaking journey of resilience and transformation, weaving together the raw emotions of immigration, loss, and advocacy. With incredible honesty, it tackles topics often considered taboo, making it deeply relatable and profoundly moving. This inspiring narrative is a must-read for anyone seeking a reminder of the strength found in family, community, and the unexpected turns that shape our lives.

Milenia Rojas
Ph.D. Candidate, Stanford University

The best biographies tend to feature lives that have gone very right or appallingly wrong. Dreams and Shadows embodies both. As an educator, the life of Emma Violand-Sanchez has gone very right. She achieved one pathbreaking success after another, with major widespread positive impacts on students -- especially (but not exclusively) those facing some of the toughest learning challenges. She accomplished this despite coping with disruption, tragedy, and daunting setbacks and challenges in her personal life from childhood until well into middle age….How she managed all this makes for a rich, eventful, and inspirational story.

Michael Crosswell

Emma is a remarkable person who has led a remarkable life. May her weaving of dreams and shadows illuminate your life as it has mine. She taught me the true meaning and loving power of community.

Lisa Ling
Author: Dragon Fly, Love Tank Parenting

Emma Violand-Sanchez’s very moving memoir, Dreams and Shadows: An Immigrant’s Journey, proves that real life is far more intriguing than fiction. Hers is an amazing story of overcoming incredible challenges and finding the will, strength and determination to carry on. Motivated by a need to serve, her life of accomplishments -- coupled with terrible losses -- are a testament to the human spirit of resilience. At the center of her story is the formidable undertaking that she, and others immigrating to the United States during an era of much social and political change, have endured. I am so inspired by her story.

Toni M. Andrews
Author: The Road to Second Chance

There are many reasons to read Dr. Emma Violand-Sánchez’s Dreams and Shadows: An Immigrant’s Journey, beautifully co-written with David Bearinger. At the deepest level, it is a meditation on the interior life of someone who will always be a bi-cultural immigrant in her new country, contrary to the myth of “assimilation.” [It also shows the many ways that] honesty, courage, determination, and the support of her many beloved communities, along with her Buddhist practice and Catholic faith, helped her integrate all those parts of herself and [create] a life of service for others.

John Mooney, Ph.D.
Former Assistant County Manager of Arlington County, Virginia.

Dreams and Shadows chronicles Emma Violand-Sanchez’s personal, professional, social, and political development over a long and productive life as a Bolivian immigrant morphing into a hyphenated American. In this strikingly open and honest, well written and developed narrative, she….recounts her work as a teacher in two countries, and her struggles and progress as an educator, program innovator, scholar, community activist and political leader….a compelling portrayal of a full life well lived.

Robert G. Smith
Former Superintendent, Arlington Public Schools; Associate Professor Emeritus, George Mason University

Author (with S. David Brazer): Striving for Equity: District Leadership for Narrowing Opportunity and Achievement Gaps (2016), Harvard Education Press

Dreams and Shadows is a deeply moving testament to resilience, service, and the unwavering strength of the immigrant spirit. Emma’s powerful and deeply personal narrative offers rich insights into the transformative power of education, opportunity, and collective effort in the face of adversity. This book is both a celebration of immigrant resilience and a poignant reminder of the profound impact that compassion and leadership can have in driving meaningful change.

Karen Vallejos Corrales, J.D.
Dream Project Executive Director

In Dreams and Shadows: An Immigrant’s Journey, Dr. Emma Violand-Sanchez shares moments of her life in a flight of stories as she lives between Bolivia and the U.S. Beautifully written, this book is a quest of love, faith, and commitment to make learning systems better for everyone

Hareth Andrade-Ayala
Poet