Afternoon
Keynote Speaker: Reyna Montoya, Founder and CEO of Aliento
Bio: A DACAmented social entrepreneur, educator and dancer, Reyna Montoya is the founder and CEO of Aliento. She is an alumna of Arizona State University, Grand Canyon University, and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
Reyna was born in Tijuana, Mexico, 15 minutes from the U.S. and Mexico border, and migrated to Arizona in 2003 fleeing violence. Despite the fear, anxiety and stress of growing undocumented in Arizona and witnessing her dad go through deportation proceedings, Reyna did not lose hope. That is why she took a leap of faith and decided to create Aliento in 2016 after years of organizing and educating both at the local and national levels.
Through youth-led arts + healing workshops, leadership development and community organizing, Aliento transforms trauma into hope and action for those most impacted by the harms associated with lacking an immigration status. To date, Aliento has touched the lives of over 16, 248 people, of which 8,873 are youth. Under dedicated Reyna’s leadership, 687 undocumented, DACA and mixed-status youth have stepped into leadership roles.
Reyna’s contributions to well-being of the undocumented, DACA, and mixed-status community have earned her recognition by Forbes 30 Under 30, the 2019 Phoenix Chamber ATHENA Awards, the Muhammad Ali Center as the 2018 Humanitarian Recipient for Spirituality, 2017 #NBCLatino20, among others.
Panel: Emerging Voices of Student Activism in Indigenous Communities Traditionally, student voices in the indigenous community have not been well represented in archival collections. How can we build relationships, increase trust and understanding, and perhaps empower indigenous students to capture their own histories? The focus of this panel will be to highlight these issues and hear first-hand from student activists in the ASU indigenous community.
Jeston Morris, Arizona State University
- ASU-Turning Points Magazine Team:
- Taylor Notah, Arizona State University
- Danielle Lucero, Arizona State University
- Ravenna Curley, Arizona State University
- Brittany Gene, Arizona State University
- Savannah Jacobs, Arizona State University
- Alex Soto (moderator), Arizona State University
Performance-based presentation (Liaizon/AKA Alex Soto and a DJ)
Liaizon of Shining Soul will perform a hip-hop set that will highlight Indigenous perspectives of social justice activism and advocacy here in Arizona. This performance will speak to common themes felt within marginalized communities and highlight the struggles faced by these groups and how, through hip-hop, the voice of the marginalized can be heard.