Aliento Features: Daniela Chavira
Introduce yourself!
Hey everyone my name is Daniela Chavira, I am a current student at Grand Canyon University in the Honors College majoring in mechanical engineering. I was born in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico and immigrated to Arizona at around ten months old. I enjoy painting/drawing and helping others.
How did you hear about the Aliento Fellowship, and why did you choose Aliento?
I first heard about the Aliento Fellowship through my friend Maria Garcia, a previous fellow with Aliento. Maria and I were both Co-chairs for MECHA, a club at Tempe High School. It was in preparation for Education Day 2020 where I first volunteered with Aliento and helped co-lead a group of 30+ students to the Arizona Capitol. Volunteering with Aliento on Education Day I saw the power of sharing your story and found my passion and determination to create change. I chose Aliento for this very reason, I want to create change so that future generations do not have to endure the hardships I did as an undocumented student.
What are some of the things you’ve learned as a fellow? Why was it important?
As a fellow, I learned many things from the inner workings of politics and government policy to how to lead with passion and courage. Throughout this entire fellowship I learned that being vulnerable is not a weakness but a strength. When sharing my story on panels such as that of NationSwell and the Flinn Foundation I learned that by sharing my story I can empower others to do the same and help educate others on the issues that are very important to me. I learned that no matter how difficult the obstacle may be, persistence and determination is key to creating change. Aliento helped me transform what I believed were my weaknesses to my greatest strengths and empowered me to be a voice for my community.
What are some moments within the fellowship that you are most proud of?
Some of the moments I am most proud of are Election Day, the Dream Continues Panel with Grand Canyon University, and the passing of SCR1044.
I remember how anxious I was the day before Election Day for many reasons such as my chemistry essay and presentation that were due the next day, the day of the election. But I also was restless because I was hoping for good news amidst all the uncertainty brought in this year alone. That day was hectic for many reasons. I had only slept 3 hours and cried endlessly because of the presentation and essay I had to prepare the night before which I had yet to finish. I attended my classes and only a few minutes after leaving my last class I was on my way to meet the Aliento Team at Brophy College Preparatory with little to no sleep and no food. I remember Patino giving me my first meal of the day and after that I was off to the streets where we danced and laughed throughout the uncertainty that was election day. Holding signs and encouraging people to use their vote and after that it was straight to the polls making sure everyone was able to cast their vote up until the very last second. That experience although hectic is one I am very proud of, amidst all the uncertainty of the election year and a global pandemic we as a community were able to create a huge impact even though it may not have felt like it at the time with the constant refreshing of our phones, but we managed do it even with all the ups and downs.
A few months after this, I helped lead and organize a student-led panel on immigration where we reserved the Grand Canyon University Arena and had more than 1,000 attendees both in person and virtually. I was extremely proud for our efforts as the Latino Student Union made great strides to helping the undocumented/DACAmented population on campus and raising awareness on important issues such as immigration. With our panel we were able to educate many students, staff, and faculty members as well as some GCU Board of Trustees members. With this event we were able to spark the conversation around immigration and destigmatize some of the greatest stereotypes in this issue. Even with all the obstacles we faced, every person who told us it was impossible, navigating through COVID-19 restrictions we pushed through it all to create change.
I remember my first time going to the capitol I was nervous but at the same time I was ready to use my voice to create change and I have. I am proud of each and every person and every step we as a community have taken to get this change to happen. Although it was incredibly hard at times facing that much uncertainty, especially this last year we managed to create an impact. After all our hard work and persistence we managed to get in-state tuition on the ballot! After all the virtual calls, videos, and campaigns as well as navigating life in the pandemic our community rose above it all to get this passed.
But most of all I am proud of us for not giving up and being resilient in the face of adversity.
Besides Aliento, what else were you involved with at school? What did you do?
At Grand Canyon University I served as the Vice President of the Latino Student Union, a club of over 300+ members, where I served as a voice for my community and helped raise awareness on issues such as immigration and even identity.
Would you recommend the fellowship? Why?
Yes. Being an Aliento Fellow has taught me so much. Through this experience not only have I learned and strengthened many skills but I also grew as a person and found my voice. This fellowship taught me so much about who I am as a person and the power we have to create change as a community. It taught me valuable information, how to be a leader, how to organize, but most importantly this fellowship has taught me how to ignite the spark to create change.
What’s next for you?
As one of the many undocumented students at Grand Canyon University I plan to continue to use my voice by representing my community as an ASGCU Senator. Amongst this I will be helping a cohort of rising undocumented/DACAmented seniors through out the college applications process as the Immigrant Scholarship Hustle (ISH) Fellow. Although this fellowship has come to an end for me I will continue to be involved with Aliento until the battle is won, till then the fight continues.
If you would like to support the Aliento Fellowship program, you can do so by donating $50 today! We are getting ready for the Fourth cohort of Aliento Fellows! It takes $5000 to sponsor a fellow!