THE TEAM
Leadership
FOUNDER + CEO + BOARD MEMBER
Reyna E. Montoya is an Echoing Green Fellow, a Forbes: 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur, and an ATHENA Young Professional recipient by the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, among many other awards.
Reyna was born in Tijuana, Mexico, and migrated to Arizona in 2003, fleeing violence. She is a DACAmented social entrepreneur, community organizer, educator, non-profit executive, and dancer. She won multiple national & global fellowships, which enabled her to start Aliento. She was also a founding member of the first Teach For America DACA Advisory Board. Reyna holds bachelor's degrees in Political Science and Transborder Studies, a Dance minor from Arizona State University, an M.Ed in Secondary Education from Grand Canyon University, and an executive education certificate from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She has engaged in local, statewide, and national platforms to advance justice for immigrant communities. In 2013, she was the lead organizer who prevented an immigration bus of undocumented immigrants from deportation in Phoenix, AZ, for the first time in the nation’s history. The same year, with the community's help, she stopped her father’s deportation.
Under Reyna’s leadership, Aliento impacted over 50,000 people, educated close to 100,000 voters in the 2020 and 2022 elections, and strategically organized a non-partisan coalition that led to the passage of Prop. 308, advancing education equity through gaining in-state tuition rates for DACA recipients in Arizona. Her contributions have earned her recognition from local to global contributors from #NBCLatino20 and the Muhammad Ali Center as the Humanitarian Recipient for Spirituality, 73rd Woman of the Year by Valley Leadership, Legends, and Legacy Honoree by NCAA, among many others. She hopes to continue to share her talents and skills with the community to co-create healing spaces, political change, and leadership development for our immigrant youth and mixed-status families. In her volunteer time, she also serves as a member of the Arizona Alumni Association board of directors and sits on many advisory boards. She enjoys going on long walks, exploring the beautiful state of Arizona, reading, and spending time with her fur baby!
VICE PRESIDENT OF EDUCATION + EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Jose Patiño was born in Mexico and raised in the Valley of the Sun, Phoenix, AZ. He migrated at the age of six with this family and is part of the 1% DACAmented people in the U.S. with a master’s degree. He is an educator and an activist. Jose holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Arizona State University and a Master’s Degree in Secondary Education from Grand Canyon University. Jose became involved in the Immigrant Rights and Dreamer Movement in 2009. Ever since then, Jose has been standing up against the injustices that undocumented immigrants face. He stopped a bus of undocumented immigrants who were set to be deported, engaged in a direct action where he interrupted President Obama’s speech, and lobbied for the DREAM Act and Immigration Reform. Jose’s activism has led him to be featured in The Washington Post, MSNBC, NPR, Univision, Telemundo, Buzzfeed, and Think Progress, among others. He was also featured in The Dream is Now and Underwater Dreams documentaries. Jose leads Aliento’s efforts to gain in-state tuition & access to scholarships for all Arizona students, regardless of immigration status. He is proud to serve his community and believes in giving back, and one of his most recent accomplishments is that he co-founded a scholarship named after him to support undocumented students' access to higher ed.
Past roles: He also serves on the National DACA Advisory Board for Teach for America as the Chair of the Advocacy Committee. He is also a member of the Arizona Department of Education School Safety taskforce and a member of the City of Mesa Census 2020 taskforce.
DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL + TECHNOLOGY
Erick Garcia is a Veracruzano/Jarocho technologist based in Mesa, AZ. He has lived in Arizona since 1997 and successfully completed his Bachelor's degree in Computer Systems Engineering at Arizona State University in 2011.
He knows firsthand what it is like to graduate against all odds. In 2006, Arizona voters passed Prop 300, which, regardless of graduating from an Arizona high school, made students like him international students overnight. Thankfully, anonymous individuals believed that students like him deserved a higher education and contributed so that he and others could make it to graduation day.
After becoming DACAmented in 2012 and adjusting his status in 2024 after a twenty-year wait, he decided to stay in the online organizing community because he's convinced we can change narratives and policies that affect our communities with digital and data-driven strategies.
Erick is behind Aliento's digital and technology stack to ensure these are leveraged strategically and efficiently across departments.
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS & PEOPLE MANAGEMENT
Sonya Hargrave brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to operational excellence to her role as Senior Director of Operations and People Management at Aliento. With a robust background in education and leadership, Sonya has consistently demonstrated her ability to drive organizational success through strategic planning, team development, and a steadfast dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Sonya's professional journey is marked by significant accomplishments and impactful initiatives. One of her proudest achievements is securing a grant to take a group of students to Flint, Michigan, to advocate for clean water in their community. This initiative not only provided invaluable real-world learning experiences for the students but also resulted in a powerful documentary that highlighted the ongoing water crisis in Flint.
In her previous role at Mastery Charter Schools, Sonya served as a Cultural Context/Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion leader, where she developed and led professional development sessions for school leaders and staff members. These sessions focused on reflecting on individual identities and their impact on workplace interactions, providing tools to support student and staff retention, and enhancing the overall organizational culture. Her work in this area has been instrumental in fostering inclusive environments that promote equity and respect.
Sonya holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from West Chester University of Pennsylvania, and her extensive experience in educational leadership and operations management has equipped her with the skills necessary to excel in her role at Aliento. She is passionate about creating supportive and effective work environments that empower individuals and drive collective success.
Core Team
CULTIVA PROGRAM MANAGER
Ileana Salinas is originally from Mexico City. She migrated with her family to Phoenix, Arizona, at the age of 15. During her senior year in high school, she became involved in actions against the passage of Proposition 300 and in support of the DREAM Act. She co-founded the Arizona DREAM Act Coalition as an undocumented student at Arizona State University. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, she continued her involvement in the migrant justice movement, including efforts against SB1070 and campaigns that led to the creation of the DACA Program.
In 2016, Ileana joined Aliento as the first Art and Healing Program Collaborator, where she became inspired to learn more about how to use music in a therapeutic way. She attended Music programs at Paradise Valley Community College and ASU. Ileana is dedicated to promoting healing, empowerment, and unity through community programming and the arts. She enjoys singing, songwriting, hiking, running, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
EDUCATION MANAGER
Pedro Gonzalez-Aboyte is a DACA recipient born in Sinaloa, Mexico. Pedro was raised in Phoenix, Arizona, after migrating from Mexico in 2001 at two years old. He graduated from Brophy College Preparatory before moving to San Antonio, Texas. Pedro attended St. Mary’s University, where he earned a degree in Psychology alongside a minor and certificate. In college, he was a part of the Office of Community-Based Research, where he conducted research on Latinxs in higher education alongside his colleagues and presented at national conferences like AERA and NCORE. He strives to find ways to help uplift the minority community, specifically the undocumented youth.
Pedro holds the value of giving back very highly, which is what has helped him get to where he is today. For him, giving back to the community that helped him is a cathartic experience that hopefully helps in creating tangible positive change.
In his free time, Pedro enjoys going on runs, hikes, journaling, and sketching. He is also an avid concert-goer and likes to travel.
ARTS + HEALING COORDINATOR
Aryam is a DACA recipient born in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, and raised in Mesa, Arizona. In 2006, she migrated to the United States alone to be with family “on the other side” to fulfill the opportunities that her single mother knew would not come from an environment of corruption and violence. In 2017, she became the first high school graduate in her family, graduating with honors and excellence in community service. She has always been passionate about education and community, so when they were robbed of the opportunity to follow the traditional path of obtaining her degree alongside her peers due to Prop 300, she became an A.V.I.D. Program tutor at Mesa High School, where she discovered her passion for listening to and supporting students. Her students, peers, and family never let her motivation to obtain a college degree decline, and in 2019, she became a full-time student with a full tuition scholarship at Benedictine University in downtown Mesa. In 2024, she graduated with a Psychology degree and continues to practice holistic healing.
In 2022, she met Aliento through Prop 308, where she quickly became involved in phone banking and canvassing. After that, she knew that she wanted to continue to support the undocumented/DACAmented community’s healing journey as she had been actively invested in her own healing from a similar situation in the prior years.
In her free time, she enjoys connecting with nature, writing poetry, studying astrology, and going to concerts and thrift stores with friends. She likes to express herself through creating art; her favorites are ink to create tattoos and fabric to create sustainable fashion clothing. She leads by seeing the good in humanity and finding inspiration in everything around her, and now, she is hyped to be working closely with students to make a positive impact.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR
Abril Valenzuela is an Arizona native, raised in Glendale. Her family migrated from Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico, in 1996 to Arizona, where they found a community in the West Phoenix-Glendale area. She lived and experienced the difficulties of growing up in a mixed-status family and the challenges it posed on a safe life in Arizona. Abril found a passion for advocating for immigrant rights and taking on a role in fostering an equitable future for families like hers.
She participated in the Arizona’s Future Fellowship 3rd Cohort, where she became involved with Aliento’s mission, organizing for DACA and in-state tuition. As the first registered voter in her immigrant family, she saw the importance of the youth vote in reflecting their community’s views in elections. Because of this, she has organized to advocate for the immigrant community in the 2020 Aliento Votes and 2022 Prop. 308 campaigns. Abril is a recipient of the Congressman Ed Pastor Civic Leadership Medallion for her work at Aliento advocating for the immigrant community. In May 2023, she graduated first-generation from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Justice Studies. As an alumna of the Fellowship, and utilizing her policy background and experiences as a member of a mixed-status family, Abril aims to uplift her community and student leaders in voicing their stories to promote change.
Abril loves to read and play guitar during her free time. She loves creating art through graphic design and music. She loves spending time with her family and her dog, Bow. And, she is passionate about exploring coffee shops and brunch spots in Arizona.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR
Guadalupe (Lupe) Reynoso Jimenez is a first-generation daughter of immigrants who was born in Los Angeles, California. She and her family soon relocated to Jalisco, Mexico, where they lived for three years before moving to Phoenix, Arizona. She grew up in the West Valley, surrounded by a diverse community of immigrants from all over the world. As a result of the impact SB1070 had on her community, she became passionate about advocating for the rights of immigrants in this country.
She attended Metro Tech High School, and during this time, she was introduced to the world of organizing and activism, where she formed part of clubs such as serving as Vice-president of the Spanish Honor Society and member of MEChA. In 2019 she was introduced to Aliento's work, and began volunteering with the organization and soon attended her first Education Day in 2020. She graduated high school in 2020 and began her college career at Northern Arizona University. She formed part of the 4th cohort of the Arizona’s Future Fellowship where she learned the importance of community and numerous skills that had aided her in her personal and professional life and that she now passes on to the fellows she mentors.
In May 2023, She obtained her BS in Criminology and Criminal Justice, graduating Summa Cum Laude, and hopes to use the knowledge on our criminal justice system and its impact on our community to continue to educate her community and uplift them to take charge in making change possible in the state of Arizona and across the country.
In her free time, Lupe enjoys reading, flower arranging, and taking care of her many plants (over 65 of them). She loves exploring new bookstores and plant shops all across Arizona.
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
As a dedicated and passionate professional, Susana "Susy" Nava brings a wealth of experience as an Executive Assistant with extensive managerial and auditing expertise. Her journey has been marked by resilience and a commitment to excellence, qualities that have driven her success in various roles.
Susana's personal journey as a DACA recipient has fueled her passion for advocacy. Recognizing the need to stand up for herself and others in similar situations. She first became actively involved with Aliento in 2018 during their Vote4Dream campaign. Through this initiative, Susana worked tirelessly along with others to raise awareness and advocate for the rights of DACA recipients and mixed-status families.
In 2019, Susy joined the Aliento team, bringing her passion for advocacy and community building to the forefront. She firmly believes in the power of community and that it is never too late to get involved and make a difference.