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ASU alum honored by Cosmopolitan for Latinas magazine


June 14, 2013

A recent story in The Arizona Republic spotlighted Arizona State University alumnus Erika Andiola as a recipient of the first-ever “Fun Fearless Latina Awards” from Cosmopolitan for Latinas magazine. Andiola was one of 11 Latina women, including actress Michelle Rodriguez and "Today" show co-host Natalie Morales, chosen by magazine editors “for positively impacting the lives of others, approaching every challenge as an opportunity and being bold in their approach.“

According to the story, Andiola came to the United States from Durango, Mexico at age nine and later earned her psychology degree from ASU. Currently, she works as a staffer for U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, serving Arizona’s 9th District as an outreach director.

Andiola also is featured in the immigration reform documentary “The Dream is Now,” screened on the university's Tempe campus in spring 2013. The public screening was supported by ASU's Comparative Border Studies and hosted by DREAMzone. As the immigration reform debate unfolds, the film is being produced in real time by Academy Award-winning director Davis Guggenheim (“Waiting for Superman” and “An Inconvenient Truth”).

In the film, Andiola is identified only as Erika, a leader of the national DREAMer movement who talks about her fear that her family suddenly could be deported. The documentary also features an ASU alum, known as Jose, who has a degree in mechanical engineering but is unable to work legally in this country.

DREAMzone is a four-hour ally certification workshop designed to establish a visible support network for undocumented students at ASU. The name DREAMzone is derived from the alias "DREAMers," which undocumented students have adopted as potential beneficiaries of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act.

Comparative Border Studies, within the School of Transborder Studies, is a strategic research initiative designed to bring scholars, artists and publics together to discuss and debate issues pertaining to geopolitical and cultural borders.

Article source: The Arizona Republic

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