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 Alumini 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, 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 has lobbied for the DREAM Act and Immigration Reform. Due to Jose’s activism he was featured in The Washington Post, MSNBC, NPR, Univision, Telemundo, Buzzfeed, Think Progress, among others. He was also featured in the documentaries The Dream is Now and Underwater Dreams. Jose leads Aliento’s efforts to gain instate 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 the he co-founded a scholarship named after him to support undocumented students access to higher ed. He also serves in the National DACA Advisory Board for Teach for America as the Chair of 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, he chose 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.
DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Camryn Norwood-Pearson is a Phoenix, Arizona native. She loves art, entrepreneurship, and social justice in particular. Her journey started in 2010 when she participated in her first protest in response to Senate Bill S.B.1070. Witnessing the devastating impact of racial profiling and unwarranted detentions on her community ignited a passion for advocacy.
Camryn started working in her community as a City of Phoenix employee. She provided essential resources at state-funded recreation centers. Her artistic pursuits led her to the Arizona School for the Arts, emphasizing playwriting and directing as healing expressions. Studying international business at American University, she managed her tech startup while gaining opportunities to work abroad in Norway and Greece. After graduating, she received a Harvard Business certification in Urban Behavior.
Returning to Phoenix in 2020 amid the pandemic, Camryn reconnected with her community, initially navigating corporate HR before finding fulfillment in arts and community building. As the Community Engagement Manager at the Phoenix Center for the Arts, she organized art shows supporting causes like Black Lives Matter, voting equity, and reproductive justice. In 2023, Camryn joined the Aliento team, dedicating her energy to advocating for immigrant rights and freedom of movement.
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. As an undocumented student at Arizona State University, she co-founded the Arizona DREAM Act Coalition. 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 pursue a career in Therapeutic Music. She enrolled in the Music Transfer Program at Paradise Valley Community College and completed one year in the Music Therapy Program at ASU. Ileana is dedicated to creating, performing, and facilitating bilingual therapeutic music to promote healing, empowerment, and unity. She enjoys singing, songwriting, hiking, running, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
ARTS + HEALING COORDINATOR
Rocio Dorador Madrigal is a DACA recipient from Tepic, Nayarit. She migrated to the United States in 2001 when she was three years old alongside her older brother and mother and grew up in South Phoenix, Arizona. She graduated high school from Xavier College Preparatory. After graduating, she moved to Oakland, California, and attended Mills College. She then moved back to Phoenix. With help from her family, Rocio went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts in Museum Studies from Arizona State University. As a student guide at the Heard Museum, She became interested in making museums more accessible to low-income and immigrant communities. She is also passionate about providing access to art and art-making to the immigrant community.
While volunteering and interning at Aliento, Rocio became involved in her community through art. She learned the positive impact that art has in helping to provide healing to those in the immigrant community.
Rocio has experience in creating art in a variety of art mediums, from oil to metal. Her favorite mediums are oil and watercolor. Aside from her interest in art, Rocio enjoys spending her free time learning Japanese, listening to music, watching TikTok, and developing her Animal Crossing island.
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 of obtaining a college degree decline, and in 2019 she became a full time student with a full tuition scholarship at Benedictine University in downtown Mesa. She studies Psychology and practices 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 who was 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. 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. Utilizing her policy knowledge and experiences as a member of a mixed-status family, Abril aims to uplift her community and fellow student leaders in voicing their stories to promote change.
Abril is an avid reader and guitarist 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 throughout Arizona.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR
Guadalupe 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 the work of Aliento, began volunteering with the organization, and attended her first Education Day in 2020. She graduated high school in 2020 and began her college career at Northern Arizona University. During her sophomore year, she formed part of the Arizona’s Future Fellowship 4th Cohort and continued to work with the organization to educate voters on Prop 308.
In May 2023, She obtained her BS in Criminology and Criminal Justice, graduating Summa Cum Laude, and hopes to use the knowledge she gained through her education and her continual work with her community to address the issues they face.
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Susana "Suzie" Nava is a DACA recipient born in Cuernavaca, Morelos Mexico raised in Tempe, Arizona. At the age of 5 she migrated to the United States along with her family and is part of a mixed-status family. She is a 2005 graduate from McClintock High School and graduated top 15% of her class. She participated in "REACH" program now known as ACE. She also attended Mesa Community College and has joined the workforce.
She has participated in Aliento's Vote4Dream campaign as well as advocating for instate tuition and has since been participating in the Aliento Workshops. She has seen the benefits of having a community to share with. Suzie joined the Aliento team in August of 2019.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, seeing new places and trying new things. She has really seen the power being part of a community and believes it is never too late to become involved.
RESEARCH ANALYST + COALITION CONSULTANT
Mario was born in Tijuana, Mexico, and migrated to Arizona as a six-year-old. He was raised in Mesa, Arizona, attending Mesa public schools from elementary through high school. The ramifications of the US immigration policy have been present throughout his life. Mario was undocumented until he received DACA when The Obama administration introduced the program. In high school, his father faced deportation; his case would be litigated for years. Mario attended Arizona State University and graduated with B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Political Economy & Buisness.
Experiencing the barriers for immigrants, he aims to support the community that helped him. He thanks his family, friends, and community members for helping him pursue his educational aspirations and become a vocal advocate for immigrants. Mario was part of Aliento’s 2nd fellow cohort, the co-chair of Aliento @ ASU, and has been part of the Aliento community for years.
In his free time, he enjoys physical activity. His favorite activities include weight training, hikes, yoga, and waterboarding.
Education For All Initiative Team
PROJECT 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 exploring different genres of music, and working on his mental health by going on runs, hikes, or journaling, as well as sketching. He is also an avid concert-goer and likes to travel.
SR CONTENT AND SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR
Karina Espinoza Rios is a first-generation daughter of immigrants who was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. She grew up in the South region of Phoenix, attending multiple schools under the Roosevelt School District. At age ten, she took a special interest in journalism after being inspired by a TV reporter/anchor who visited her school event to educate students on her role. Growing up in a diverse community filled with both fond memories and complex social issues like immigration, education, health, and crime became the catalyst for Karina’s lifelong commitment to highlighting her community through people’s stories. Her connection to the community further deepened throughout the years through various positions she held in the Phoenix area, creating and reinforcing long-lasting relationships she would later get to cover through different forms of media.
After high school in 2016, she pursued broadcast journalism at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications, minoring in Spanish. As a junior and senior, she reported and anchored for Cronkite Noticias on Univision and Cronkite News on PBS. She also interned at Univision Arizona, enhancing her reporter and producer skills.
In 2020, Karina worked as an assignment desk editor, content producer, and reporter for Telemundo Arizona. In her four years working for Telemundo News, she made many connections with the Arizona community, including government officials, community leaders, and the general public.
In her free time, Karina enjoys spending time with her family and friends, building Legos, attending fashion shows, reading self-help books, trying new ice cream shops, and hiking South Mountain. She believes in living a life that serves others through acts of kindness and knows we can only rise as a community when we help and lift each other.
INITIATIVE COORDINATOR
Ivette Sosa Barraza was born and raised in Mesa, Arizona, by her two Mexican immigrant parents who migrated from a small town in Durango, Mexico. Ivette was the first in her family to pursue higher education. The childhood difficulties of experiencing SB1070 in Arizona inspired Ivette's education and career path. In 2023, Ivette obtained her bachelor's degrees in Political Science and Transborder Studies, a Spanish Minor, and 2 Certificates in Socio-Legal Studies and Latino Politics and Policy from Barrett the Honors College at Arizona State University. She graduated Summa Cum Laude and wrote her honors thesis titled: "The Historical Win of Proposition 308: Analyzing the Strategies Used by Aliento To Attain Instate Tuition Access for Undocumented and DACAmented Students."
She began her involvement with Aliento at 16 as a fellow during Aliento's' Educated Arizona Future campaign for instate tuition access for all. She continued spreading Aliento's' mission at ASU with the goal of connecting impacted folks with resources and safe community spaces. As an activist who comes from a mixed-status family, she hopes to inspire others to share and embrace their stories. Ivette is a CHCI Alumna; she participated in the CHCI Congressional Internship Program in 2022, where she was placed in a Congressional office and cultivated her professional and leadership development.
Her favorite quote is, "They tried to bury us, they didn't know we were seeds," a Mexican proverb, which is a metaphor where the oppressed, the seeds, grow stronger despite the attacks of the oppressor. It's a statement on the importance of unity.
INITIATIVE COORDINATOR
Priscila Romero is a first-generation daughter of immigrants who was born and raised in Mesa, Arizona. She attended Arizona State University and graduated with a B.A. in Political Science and a B.A. in Spanish. Throughout college, Priscila became Program Chair and Co-Chair for Aliento @ASU. Through this hub, she and her E-Board colleagues hosted on-campus events to spread leadership development and raise awareness on Prop 308 among ASU folks. Simultaneously, Priscila became part of the fourth cohort of Arizona’s Future Fellowship, where she continued to educate college students on the monumental impacts of Prop 308.
However, her advocacy journey started elsewhere. Priscila’s family was one of the many mixed-status families affected by the repercussions of SB1070 in 2010. At 13 years old, this “show me your papers” law opened her eyes to the injustices that the immigrant community faced. She felt hopeless. It wasn’t until she started sharing her story that she realized the power of storytelling. Priscila has since been involved in the field of advocacy. She hopes to reach and inspire young leaders. Especially those who dream of a better future have yet to realize the power of their personal story.
INITIATIVE COORDINATOR
JC is an Arizona native born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. Growing up as the daughter of an immigrant, she grew up experiencing and witnessing a lot of anti-immigrant sentiment toward herself, her family, and her community. As a result, this impacted what she wanted to study in college. She is currently in her last semester at Arizona State University. She is projected to graduate with a B.A. in Transborder Studies (U.S. Mexico Regional Immigration Policy+ Economy) and a B.A. in Political Science, with a certificate in social-legal studies and a thesis completed with Barrett the Honors College.
A first-generation college student herself, JC is highly passionate about making college accessible to everyone regardless of status or background. As a result, she has done a lot of work surrounding educational equity. For example, one project she helped develop was a peer coaching service at ASU geared towards creating inclusivity for Latinx students and students of mixed-status backgrounds.
JC’s involvement with Aliento began as an intern during the Proposition 308 educational campaign. In this role, she assisted in many tasks, including phone banking, canvassing, and speaking with voters on election day. From there, she grew with Aliento as their Marketing intern (Summer 2023) and Legislative intern (Fall 2023). Getting the opportunity to return as a Prop 308 Initiative coordinator is a full-circle moment for JC, and she is excited to work with her amazing Prop 308 project team!