Per usual, the never-ending world of Twitter brought to my attention a phenomenal development I knew I needed to share with you all.

Vicko Alvarez Vega, born in Texas and a current Chicago resident, has taken her immense talent and brains to the masses with the development of "ScholaR Comics."

I first learned of Vega and "ScholaR" from a January "Latina" Magazine article by Raquel Reichard. Upon reading it I could not have been more in love. Vega creates stories centered around the protagonist, ScholaR, "a nerdy Latina who puts the 'Chola' in 'scholar,'" based loosely on events of her own childhood and topics anyone from a "bad neighborhood" can identify with. The few "ScholaR Comics" available cover sexism, stereotypes and the life of low-income families. ScholaR has proven herself to teachers, made regular visits to the WIC offices (Women, Infant, Children), and has been flabbergasted by sexist novelas and the patriarchy exhibited all around her. ScholaR is wonderful because she sees the problems of the world through the eyes of a middle schooler — she knows they are unfair and therefore wrong.

Vega has admitted these are hard topics, and only hopes to delve further into issues she herself grew up around — substance abuse, violence and family disagreements. She stresses the importance of these topics, and I could not agree more. Acknowledgment of these issues gives young people the opportunity to see something better as a viable option, or a medium of understanding for their problems.

Vega, to my understanding, is still developing the comics alongside going to grad school and working to support herself and her family back home here in Texas. Vega refers to herself as a "chingona feminist" and the "ScolaR Comics" as a form of that activism. I highly recommend you all check out the work of Vega, and her personal sites. Formerly a labor organizer, Vega has found her calling in activism and education reform for the low-income students just like ScholaR making their way up in the world.

Much like Vega, growing up I was positioned in the intersection of "hood" and "college bound," lying just on the edges enough to see both, but stayed wondering. My only I hope is that ScholaR inspires, connects, sees success, instills pride, and stays being a badass chola !

For a deeper look at chola culture click here.