Student Spotlight: Q&A With Maya Diaz-Villalta ’22

Sept. 15–Oct. 15 marks Latinx Heritage Month! To celebrate our diverse Latinx community, we’re highlighting student leaders and asking what this month means to them. Meet Maya Diaz-Villalta (they/them), a senior Anthropology and Dance double major, and the founder and president of the Native American and Indigenous Student Association (NAISA), Saint Mary’s first Indigenous student club!

How do you identify, culturally and/or ethnically?

I do not identify as Latinx because I do not wish to define my identity based on my colonization. I am Pipil, P'urepecha and Xinca, Indigenous of El Salvador and Mexico. I am also Chicanx. I am a first-generation American. 

How are you involved in our campus community?

I am the president of the Native American & Indigenous Student Association as well as the co-president of Ballet Folklorico Guadalupano. I am the publicist for PRIDE and the treasurer for the Anthropology club. I serve on the Seminar Governing Board and the AfroLatinx, Latinx, and Indigenous People's Action Subcommittee as a student representative. I am also an SMC Dance Company member. 

What are some difficulties you've faced because of your culture or identity? What are some of the triumphs?

There were absolutely no resources for Indigenous students when I arrived at SMC. It is difficult to find a sense of home in a predominantly white institution where people of your identity are not represented nor supported. I am glad to see resilience and our current generation of Latinx and Indigenous leaders, and I know that we will continue to thrive in circumstances that were set up for us to fail. 

Why is it important for our community and the larger community to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month?

I think it is important to understand Latinx Heritage Month as something that needs to be intersectional and inclusive. There are many Afrolatinx people and Indigenous folks who are simply left out of conversations around Latinidad because it suggests only white/mixed Latinx folks exist. Latinx Heritage Month should be about integrating and including Black and Indigenous voices into conversations because we are the foundation of Latin America. 

What advice do you have for community members who want to be actionable and help the Latinx/Hispanic community?

Listen to Latinx voices and be a good follower. In the United States, we push everyone to lead, to be in charge, to be an individual, but that's not what we need from our leaders. Ultimately, we need community, followers, and people to support and uplift each other. The best liberation work comes from being a follower and doing what needs to be done. That might be cleaning the floors or setting up tables, and not giving speeches and being a traditional “leader.” Being in community and collaboration with others is strength I've seen from my elders serving Latinx communities and something I hope to continue in my liberation work.