I never imagined answers to such simple questions like, “Who named me? Was it you or dad?” would have such a profound impact on my psyche. But it did, and I was blown away when my mother replied, “I named you Jacalyn Louise because I did not want you to have a ‘traditional’ Mexican name. I thought that because you were born with fair skin and light hair it would make it easier for you to enjoy all the privileges of being ‘American.’” At age forty-two, this was a true eye-opener for me because it awakened my interest in documenting my mother's life experiences and my own bi-cultural heritage. The more she shared, the more I wanted to know and understand. The more thought I gave to the impact her life had on mine, the more I wanted to investigate the possibilities of creating reflections of the past, while examining new understandings of the present with the use of new technologies, the Internet, and autobiography in multimedia artworks.

The 1990s marked a pivotal point in shaping my academic career goals as a photography student interested in exploring the connections between art and technology. Additionally, my curiosity in combining old and new techniques in multimedia art had just escalated after visiting the very first major exhibition of “digital” photography by Mexican documentary photographer Pedro Meyer, at the California Museum of Photography. The year was 1993. I stood in awe inspecting every inch of his incredible photographic images that exploited and violated the notion of photographic truth. Instantaneously I became enthralled with his use of new digital technologies and the manner in which he captured the spirit and emotion of storytelling within a more “painterly” style, rather than working in a “straight” photographic space. Inspired by Meyer's artist toolbox, I purchased a more sophisticated computer, digital imaging software, and I pursued my interests in multimedia art by enrolling in classes to gain knowledge, experience, and expertise.