ALIENTO: The Story of Hope, Healing, and Advocacy

1:45pm-3:15pm

Presenter: Jose Patino

Session Type: Panel Discussion

Topic: Human rights, social justice, advocacy, and activism

Description

José Patiño Aliento Intern Francisco Pastor, & Aliento fellow Maria Garcia will share narrative
stories on their advocacy efforts and the impact it has made for generations of students in
Arizona, highlighting their success, setbacks, and lessons working with elected officials, multiple
stakeholders, community members. Through this session, you will learn how Aliento’s efforts
have been part of transforming trauma into hope in action with mixed-status families and allies
to turn Arizona from an epicenter of hate and anti-immigrant sediment to an epicenter of
healing and hope

Files

Aliento Impact Report 2020 (4).pdf

Aliento Zoom Cares.pdf

Facilitator

Jose Patino

Education + External Affairs Director for Aliento

jose@alientoaz.org

Jose Patino is the Education + External Affairs Director for Aliento. Born in Mexico, Jose
migrated to the Valley of the Sun, Phoenix, AZ, at the age of 06. He is a member of the 1%
DACAmented people in the US, holding a bachelor’s bachelor’s degree in Mechanical
Engineering from Arizona State University and a Master’s Degree in Secondary Education from
Grand Canyon University. An advocate for DACA and undocumented students since 2009, Jose
has made it a mission to advocate for educational rights for all students regardless of citizenship
status in AZ and the US. Jose also serves in the National DACA Advisory Board for Teach for
America as the Chair of Advocacy Committee, a member of the Arizona Department of
Education School Safety taskforce, and a member of the City of Mesa Census 2020 taskforce.

Panelists

María García

María Valeria García Muñoz is an undocumented student at Arizona State University, where she
is currently in her second year of studying Political Science. She became involved with Aliento
her senior year of high school through their Arizona’s Future Fellowship. When she started high
school she thought about going to college; however, no one told her how not having an
immigration status can affect that possibility. She has advocated for instate tuition with Aliento
since 2019. She was key in leading over 300 students to the Arizona State Capitol to speak with
elected officials on how difficult it is for undocumented and DACA students to pursue a higher
education.She decided to become involved in education equity and immigration because she
knows first hand how it’s like to work twice as much due to the lack of same opportunities. She
knows what it is like to feel that no matter what she did, it was never “good enough.” She wants
to support other students to ensure they do not feel that they like she did, and that they know
they are enough and that this is our home.

Francisco Pastor-Rivera

Francisco Pastor-Rivera is a DACA ally and current sophomore at Creighton University in Omaha,
Nebraska, studying political science. Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Francisco grew up
heavily involved with local politics and Latino affairs in Arizona, with his grandfather being
Arizona’s first Latino US Congressman. Francisco became an intern with Aliento after attending
an event, located in his former high school Brophy College Preparatory. Francisco has been an
intern for Aliento for nearly 05 years, actively advocating and believing education should be
available for all students regardless of citizenship status. Francisco is currently a student
representative with Creighton’s student government, House of Delegates. Francisco is a
member of the Intercultural Student Engagement Council for Creighton’s Intercultural Council,
Creighton University’s Latino Student Association (CULSA), and appointed member of Creighton
University’s Committee on Student Life Policy.