Ramona Flightner is a native of Missoula, Montana. After graduating from Tufts University with a B.A. in Spanish, she earned a Masters degree in Spanish Literature from the University of Montana. Her Master's thesis, Chilean Testimonial Literature: the collective suffering of a people, highlighted her continued interest in the stories of those who were at risk of being forgotten or silenced. She studied nursing at the University of Pennsylvania and graduated with a Master's in Nursing as a Family Nurse Practitioner. She has worked for ten years as a family nurse practitioner providing care to