Graduates honored for outstanding advocacy work for undocumented students

By Sophia Huang McKenzie

Published May 31, 2020

Every year CSUMB honors graduating students for their outstanding achievements with six university-wide awards and five Dean’s Medalist awards. This is the third in a series of stories about this year’s honorees. To see our Class of 2020 virtual celebration, go to Graduate Celebration 2020.

Andrea Diaz Aquino, Collaborative Health and Human Services

Outstanding Senior Award for Social Justice

When Andrea Diaz Aquino arrived at CSUMB in 2014 as an undocumented student, she felt alone with nowhere to go for support or help with questions about financial aid and legal issues. Aquino became a driving force of positive change, helping to create a community, support and services for undocumented students. She co-founded the Undocu-Otters & Allies (UOA) student group, and served as its first president for two years.

“We created spaces to give people their voice in order to tell stories and not be afraid to stand our ground,” Aquino said. “We promoted a lasting institutional change that would hopefully increase the small percentage of undocumented students graduating from higher education because of the support they receive.”

In its first year, UOA established itself as a social group and successfully promoted a social change agenda. The group collaborated with the Undocu-Coalition, a faculty and staff group, to raise awareness and support for undocumented students.

Their advocacy resulted in the creation of a full-time Undocu-Success Resource Specialist position, an Undocu-Success Support website, yearly Undocu-Success conferences, special graduation ceremonies for undocumented students, and Undocu-Ally trainings for faculty and staff. As of March 2020, 133 faculty and staff have completed the training.

In the community, the group collaborated with local schools to give presentations about their immigration journeys and to hold workshops about pathways to higher education.

“We have established a foundation for future generations to build upon in order to make a bigger change,” Aquino said. “I would have never imagined being open about my immigration status and empowering others to use their voices to make a change. UOA makes me hopeful about our impact on the future. It makes me believe that I will find people who will continue to challenge the system without fear, because I have learned that I am unafraid and unapologetic.”

Pamela Motoike, a professor with CSUMB’s Service Learning Institute, nominated Aquino for the Social Justice Award: “In my 19 years at CSUMB, I can think of no other student who better exemplifies the spirit of this award,” Motoike said.

“Over her academic career, (Andrea) has made multiple contributions to projects that promote equity, including her work as a Service Learning student leader, her capstone work in promoting oral health in Latino communities, and her outstanding work in advocating for services and increased visibility of undocumented students at CSUMB.”

Motoike praised Aquino for her growth as a leader and her commitment to social justice throughout her academic career.

“From each experience, she takes the skills to communicate across cultures, to raise awareness of the issues of the marginalized, and to create change,” Motoike said. “With her background in social justice, community empowerment, and curriculum development, Andrea will be a powerful force for equity and social justice and an exemplar of leadership of which CSUMB can be proud.”

Juan Pacheco Marcial, Psychology

Alumni Vision Award

Growing up undocumented in a low-income, rural town in South Monterey County, Juan Pacheco Marcial never imagined he’d go to college. Now he has not only earned a bachelor’s degree, he’s been accepted to a doctoral program in Chichanx Studies at UC Santa Barbara and aspires to a career in higher education.

“My journey at CSUMB has not just revolved around a degree, but also the unique experiences that I’ve gained through mentorship, community, friendships, and values gained. The uniqueness of CSUMB is that faculty and staff are willing to go out of their ways to help out and make sure that you obtain the best education there is,” Marcial said.

Mrinal Sinha, associate professor and psychology department chair, said Marcial embodies CSUMB’s Vision Statement “in tangible and concrete ways” and “is the type of student CSUMB was designed to serve.”

In addition, “he has provided leadership in a multi-cultural project or activity that extended the Vision into the lives of others, especially in the areas of bridging social/economic divides, celebrating diversity, and promoting understanding and respect for other cultures.”

Before coming to CSUMB, Marcial said he hid his undocumented status, struggled with his identity and never fit it. He even attempted to take his own life. At CSUMB he discovered the UOA group at an event on campus, and everything changed.

“It was a tough time for undocumented students. We were being targeted once more, and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival was rescinded by the president. I knew that I had to get involved and change things. I was tired of running away from my identity and became a voice for others,” Pacheco said.

Pacheco joined UOA and served as vice president. He organized the first undocumented student graduation ceremony, now an annual event. He described that first ceremony as “truly magical.”

“Seeing all of the faces, full of teary eyes and huge smiles, made all of the work and stress that came along preparing for the graduation worth it. Watching the many families give their graduates huge strong hugs while having the proudest expressions on their faces, helped me dream of my own graduation,” he said.

Marcial also worked at the Otter Cross Cultural Center (OC3) for three years, where he received training about diversity, equity, and social justice and then gave presentations and helped lead workshops.

In Sinha’s research lab, Marcial took on a leadership role, collaborating with a team of students on two projects which examined social psychological phenomena with Latinx students at CSUMB. He coordinated an interview project and prepared proposals that were accepted by three professional associations for presentations at regional and national conferences.

As Marcial prepares for the next step in his academic career, he reflected on the dramatic impact of his time at CSUMB.

“Never once before CSUMB did I have a conversation regarding identities or differences in beliefs. There was no conversation about gender, race, or social status. In my three years here at CSUMB, these types of conversations are surrounding my life,” he said.

“Because of the training received here that aligns with the Vision Statement, I have been able to focus my research, scholarship, and graduate school aspirations on these types of conversations. They have changed my life. I have been able to find myself.”