Eduardo immigrated to Albuquerque, New Mexico with his parents at the age of seven from Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico. Growing up in the South Broadway neighborhood and graduating from Albuquerque HS he developed a strong sense of community that has been a driving force throughout his life. He studied biochemistry at the University of New Mexico and is also a student of Critical Race Theory. Eduardo has been with NMDT since 2015. He has worked on training and curriculum development with a focus around education equity and racial justice and now serves as Co-Director for the organization.

Felipe was born and grew up next to the ocean in the beautiful port of Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico. He immigrated to the U.S. along with his family in search for security and opportunities. He graduated from the University of New Mexico with a bachelor’s in Psychology. Felipe started organizing with the NM Dream Team in 2015 and immediately fell in love with the work of the organization. He believes in the power of community organizing, intersectionality, and activism to win the fight for immigrant rights and social justice.

Jovanny Sebastián Hernández, esta en su último semestre de la universidad, donde esta estudiando Ciencias Políticas con un enfoque en la Ley Pública. Hoy vive en Las Cruces, pero originalmente es de Hobbs, NM. Antes de mudarse a Nuevo México en 2010, vivía en Kansas y Texas. Su familia se mudaba mucho debido a la naturaleza del trabajo de su papá en las norias de aceite. Like many kids who grew up with immigrant parents, he grew up in a bilingual household. Jovanny is drawn to this work because of them, and because of where he lives and have matured. To help in any way, those who struggle for a better life for themselves and their families, is his goal!

Jocelyn was born in Guanajuato, Mexico but was raised in Michoacan Mexico until the age of four. In 2004 Jocelyn along with her two siblings and mother immigrated to the United States where she has lived since then. Jocelyn always lived in fear of possibly being ripped apart from her family throughout her middle school years and half of high school. Jocelyn became a part of the New Mexico Dream Team early 2018 were she found comfort in herself and around others with similar stories to hers. She is now the field organizer with the New Mexico Dream Team with a hope of being a resource to her immigrant community.

Itzayana, from Sotomaynez, Chihuahua, Mexico immigrated to Albuquerque, New Mexico at the age of 3 alongside her family. In December 2011 her father got deported. After working for the 2020 Census GOTV campaign she saw the lack of information and how scared the community really is and it reminded her of herself and how afraid she was to even apply for a job because she was undocumented. Itzayana got really interested in helping her community and letting them know they have rights, but most important that they are not alone.

Karen is an undocumented woman of color living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She immigrated with her family from Ciudad Juarez in 2006 at the age of six. Karen started organizing for the community when she was 14 years old. She began her organizing journey with Young Women United, now known as Bold Futures- as part of a youth circle for young women of color. Through Young Women United she found out about the New Mexico Dream Team and she started to get involved with them in the Summer of 2018. Her role consists of making creative content that tells the stories of our community and making sure the NMDT brand is reflective of each unique experience of NMDT’s members across the state.

Cesar was born in Veracruz, Mexico. He moved to Albuquerque, NM at the age of 12 with his parents and his sister. He began attending school and eventually graduated from Manzano High School in 2018. He began pursuing his degree in music at the University of New Mexico, though he has since changed it into a degree in psychology. Because of his upbringing and status, Cesar has cultivated a strong empathy for marginalized groups and delved into literature and sociological theories to gain a stronger understanding of the inequities and injustices in the system. He remains an ally to all marginalized groups and hopes to one day see the liberation of all peoples through pertinent and sufficient social and legislative action.

Aailinn immigrated to the United States from Mexico when she was very little, therefore she has never known her home country. Aailinn feels very fortunate to have parents who have sacrificed leaving their homeland because of the dream they had for her and her siblings to have the opportunity to have a brighter future in the United States. She has seen her family struggle and knows what hard work is because of them. She wants to help people by becoming a social worker. Being part of the NMDT is learning how to be part of the change within the immigrant community. Learning the lesson that we need to come together as a community and organize, that is when change happens.

Karina was born in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua Mexico. After she turned one, her father, mother, older brother, and her migrated to Santa Fe, NM. For all of her early education, she was always very shy and would never share any status with her teachers unless she had to. Up until her senior year of high school, she realized the limited opportunities she had as an undocumented student. Discovering this was sad because all her parents hoped for her was to attend a higher education so that she may have a better job. Despite the financial struggles, during the Fall of 2020, she started attending the University of New Mexico majoring in Elementary Education with a minor in Bilingual Education. Karin’s hope is to become a teacher in her community of Santa Fe and create a safe space for undocumented students like herself.