Immigrant of the Day: Diana Ortiz Giron (Mexico), Master of Divinity from Harvard University
Diana Ortiz Giron received her Master of Divinity from Harvard this past May. She was born into a single-mother household in Tijuana, Mexico. When she was six years old, Diana’s mother managed to get her and her two older siblings a tourist visa so that after two years of separation we could join her in Azusa, California. She arrived in the U.S. in the summer of 1998, just in time to attend 1st grade. Without any options to legalize their status, Diana’s family became “undocumented” when they overstayed their tourist visa.
Her brother was the first in my family to attend college at UCLA, He unfortunately at that time did not qualify for financial aid. As a result, Diana was the first in her family to graduate college and attend graduate school due to the privilege of attending Pomona College, which granted her a full-ride scholarship.
At Pomona, Diana sought to increase the visibility of undocumented students. She co-founded IDEAS at the Claremont Colleges, an immigrant rights awareness and support group for undocumented students and allies. She was fortunate to receive relief under DACA in 2013 and shortly after got her driver’s license and social security number at age 20.
In 2014, Diana graduated from Pomona College with a B.A. in History and a minor in Chicano/a Latino/a Studies. In search of fulfilling her vocational aspirations to serve the immigrant community, Diana applied and gained admission into Harvard Divinity School. Upon graduating with my Master of Divinity this past May of 2017, she aspires to advocate for the educational equity of low-income, first-generation, and undocumented students through work in higher education and the non-profit industry. Her ultimate career goal would be to become the director of a resource center for undocumented students.
KJ