The Seed and Soil model has been used to explain why cancer spreads or doesn't in metastasis as well as why species are invasive or not in ecology. Adapting this model to education looks at how much students' internal characteristics (the seed) matters in relation to how much impact the educational system and teacher actions (the soil) have on student success. Physics and Chemistry Teacher Rosa Herrera discusses her own experience as a first generation student and teacher and how her personal characteristics have combined with systemic structures. We also talk about institutional racism and what we can do on an individual level to fight against it.