Eduardo immigrated to Albuquerque, NM with his family at the age of 7 from 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 NM and was a student of Critical Race Theory. Eduardo has been with NMDT since 2015 and has worked on training and curriculum development with a focus around education equity and racial justice. When he is not working, he likes to create art, listen to music, and spend time with his family and friends.

Felipe was born and grew up next to the ocean in the beautiful port of Acapulco. He immigrated to the U.S. along with his family in search of security and opportunities. He graduated from the University of NM with a bachelor’s in Psychology. Felipe was undocumented for 8 years, during this time he started organizing with the UNM Dream Team and immediately fell in love with the work of the organization. Felipe is a co-founder of the state-wide network NM Dream Team and has served the organization in multiple roles including Field Organizer and Campaigns Manager. Felipe became Co-Director of the NM Dream Team in the summer of 2020. In his free time, Felipe is a musician and a cinephile. He also enjoys casual conversations over coffee on a range of topics such as: the negative impacts of Neo-Liberalism and Patriarchal Racial Capitalism, how to rigorously train new organizers to become life-long political workers, and building campaigns that are fights for today and training grounds for tomorrow. Felipe deeply believes that organized young people will play a critical role in creating a mass movement for structural transformation.

Michelle is an undocumented young woman who came to the United States with her two younger siblings and her mother in 2010 pursuing the dream of having a better life without fear, with more opportunities, and a better future.  Michelle started getting involved in the NM Dream Team when she was 15 years-old and found her passion helping her community and feeling fearless.  Today Michelle is Field Manager for the NM Dream Team and organizes more young people to leave fear behind and fight for their voices, their dreams, their family and future generations.

Estephanie was born in Guanajuato, Mexico but was raised in Michoacán, Mexico until the age of 4. In 2004 her family immigrated to the US and came to Santa Fe, NM. Through her late elementary and middle school years she lived in fear to say where she was from and with risk of being ripped apart from her family. In highschool of 2018 she started getting involved with the NM Dream Team, where she learned a lot and developed a voice she didn’t know she had. Estephanie knew she wanted to be a leader and wanted to help her community lose that fear that she once had. Jocelyn is now a Field Organizer here in Albuquerque, NM. “I hope to accomplish my goal of becoming a resource for our community.”

Cesar, from Chihuahua, Mexico, moved to the U.S. at ten months old and grew up in New Mexico, graduating from Atrisco Heritage Academy High School in 2020. His involvement with NM Dream Team began after a fellowship with Service Core. Currently, he is working towards a degree in bilingual secondary education and serves as the field and education justice fellow. Cesar is driven by a desire to reform the education system to better support minority students, who he observed lacked adequate resources and opportunities. His goal is to establish stronger support systems to ensure every student receives the education they deserve.

Betzaira became the Education Justice Organizer at the NM Dream Team in October 2023, focusing on enhancing educational opportunities for immigrant students and advocating for a more equitable system. Inspired by their mother’s teaching that education is inviolable, and drawing from their experiences as a DACA recipient, Betzaira is intimately aware of the obstacles immigrant families face in education. Their aim is to understand community needs and provide resources, training, and support to foster collaboration that enhances immigrant family success in education across New Mexico. For resources or support, Betzaira can be contacted at [email protected].

Janeth was born in Cuauhtémoc Chihuahua, Mexico, and immigrated to the US at the age of 7. She started working with the NM Dream Team in 2017. Prior to working with the NM Dream Team, she was a volunteer with New Mexico Dreamers in Action in Northern NM doing community organizing; she worked as an organizer for United We Dream in Austin, Texas, and not long after was given the opportunity to work as the Field Organizer in Northern NM with NMDT, this opened the door for her to work with her community. Being part of the movement has allowed her to see the need to build empowerment and strengthen the fight for immigration and LGBTQ rights. She is currently the Programs Manager at NMDT, overseeing the Economic Justice, Undocu Queer, and Undocu Healing programs. The NM Dream Team has significantly impacted her life and given her valuable knowledge that she wishes to continue using by giving back to her community.

Bryan immigrated to the United States when he was just 12 years old with his mother, but he never understood what it was like to be an immigrant until his last years of High School. When Bryan was trying to apply for scholarships and opportunities and realized that they were not available to him due to the fact that he did not have a social security number. And while he was going through this, Bryan was also finding the real him, a Bryan who was not only comfortable with his sexuality but also with being himself. And thanks to this he was able to find a community with the NM Dream Team, an organization that fights for the rights of his two beloved communities. Who not only welcomed him with open arms for being an immigrant but also for being a queer person. And here he stands, Undocumented & Unafraid, Queer & Unashamed!!

Jason is a 20 year-old young man who came to the United States with his two sisters and his mother in 2010 pursuing the dream of having a better life without fear, with more opportunities, and a better future. Jason started as a member of the Rio Grande Dream Team and eventually became the RGDT chapter lead. He got distance from organizing but his passion brought him back as ABQ Organizer.

Jessica was born in Santa Fe, NM to parents from Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua, who migrated to the United States in the early 90s. Jessica was raised in Santa Fe and graduated from Santa Fe High School in 2018. She then graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in French from The University of New Mexico in 2022. Jessica has always been passionate about fighting for immigrant rights. She is also passionate about music, art, and self-expression.

Itzayana, from Santa Ana, Chihuahua, Mexico immigrated to Albuquerque, New Mexico at the age of 3 alongside her sister and mother. In December 2011 her father got deported and has not seen him since then. After graduating high school in 2013 her priority was finding a job to take care of her family but because of her legal status it was hard for her. After working for the 2020 Census GTOV campaign she saw the lack of information and how scared the community really is. It reminded her of herself and how afraid she was to even apply for a job. She 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.