When Adriana Ayala obtained her doctorate in 2005, she became the 19th Chicana to obtain a Ph.D. in this country. The number of Chicana doctorates has increased, and possibly doubled since then, thanks to organizations like the one that helped Ayala. 

In 1993, when Ayala, a UC Berkeley graduate, set out to pursue a Ph.D. in history at UT Austin, she received a scholarship from the Chicana Latina Foundation. Back then, the thousand dollars Ayala received was considerable help, but what mattered even more was the fact that an organization like the Chicana Latina Foundation had her back. 

“When I got my scholarship, it was a shot of confidence,” said Ayala, whose parents’ education stopped at 6th grade. “Since I had received this, I knew I had to finish my Ph.D. I had an obligation to centuries of history before me and all the sacrifices that had been made.”

Today, Ayala serves as acting executive director of California’s Chicana Latina Foundation (CLF), which has grown tremendously in helping Latinas and Chicanas since its inception in 1977. She’s overseeing an organization that began with three Chicanas at UC Berkeley offering only one to two scholarships to students like them.

“They’ve created such a legacy that’s been around now for more than forty years!” said Ayala. 

40-Year Legacy

From its inception, CLF has grown to provide more than one million dollars in scholarship assistance to California’s 600-plus Latina leaders most of whom were the first in their families to attend college. And what began as a scholarship for California Latinas and Chicanas expanded to offer Latinas and Chicanas workshops, training, and an alumni network designed to build future leaders. 

Last year, CLF offered about $48,000 in scholarship money to 30 California students. Yet it also provided them with a Leadership Institute (added in 2006), an alumni network, skill-building trainings and ongoing mentorship. The organization’s expanded program was designed to help students ease financial burdens, cultivate leadership, lift up their culture and spark civic engagement. 

“We want to help create leaders in this country,” said Ayala. “Cost is a big challenge in going to a four-year university, but students are also given mentorship, guidance and help with succeeding in college. Students get to talk to other professionals who have made it and receive leadership training.” 

When students receive a CLF scholarship, they’re required to attend two leadership institutes, one in August and the other in January. During the first institute, students retreat to the outskirts of San Francisco, to Marin County, where they tune into nature and their own true nature for three days.

“These women tap into their cultural capital with the understanding that ‘cultura cura’ y ‘cultura es poder,’” said Ayala. “So often when you go into higher education, you feel like you’re not supposed to be there. You are one of a few and you don’t have a command of the academic language. So, we look to our own culture for strength.”

Leadership Institutes

During the first leadership institute, students are asked to work on their unique story and to develop an elevator speech. Said Ayala, “We go through a lot of drafts and speaking skill sets on how to tell your story and talk to the audience. These women come out of this institute with a sense of confidence and seeing their culture as a benefit and not a deficit.”

For Edith Arias, a scholarship recipient in 2015, the first leadership institute provided a turning point for life. She had been in an abusive marriage for 24 years, and when she applied, she had been separated from husband for a year and was raising her two children alone.  Although she had applied for the scholarship four times before receiving it, the timing of this last one and the institute were perfect for her.

“I met all of these women who had been able to go through difficult times and do well,” said Arias.  “I felt I could go on and do more things even if I’m carrying a lot of weight. I felt I was capable of doing more, not just for me but for others. It opened up the opportunity to open up about my situation.”

Arias was inspired by other women who reminded her that she could do it. It gave her the confidence to pay it forward. Since the first institute, she attended the second one, obtained her masters in 2016, and has been working in the San Francisco school district as a Special Education teacher.  She is currently applying for her doctorate.

While Arias attended the second institute several years ago, this year’s was planned for January 18 and included workshops such as “Microaffirmations and developing resistance capital” and “Spoken Word Workshop.”

The former event focused on challenges Latinas may face in an educational environment that reflects the historically predominant culture, and strategies that will help them be successful. In the latter event, students learned from one another how to experience the spoken word as a source of healing and strength.

“We want these students to be civically responsible, politically aware, and take a stand,” said Ayala. “We teach them the importance of helping others as we rise, and they learn to counter deficit models.”   

The last planned activity for the most recent leadership institute was designed to give alumni time to congregate and provide scholarship students the support needed to be successful.  The alumni, as well as the board, have played a very active role in helping build future Latina and Chicana leaders. They have also been key in establishing more than 30 workshops that are given throughout the year at community colleges, universities and other institutions.

Through these workshops, students learn about the steps they need to take to apply for scholarships, and what it is that CLF is looking for in these applications. They especially approach students who are in their earlier years of college (they need to have at least 15 units of credit to apply for the organization’s scholarship) or those who may be considering graduate school.

Scholarships And Leaders

“A lot of Latinas and Chicanas don’t want to apply for scholarships because they don’t feel like they have done that much to get a scholarship,” said Ayala. “Yet often they are active in church, community organizations and work with the elderly. We start having them speak the truth and tell their stories. We ask them about the sacrifices and hoops they’ve gone through to get to where they are.”

Providing students with the right inspiration to apply for scholarships and helping them realize the strengths they bring to the world is the first step CLF takes in building future Latina and Chicana leaders.

Today’s CLF alumnae have already become leaders in their communities. According to Ayala, many are working on getting out the vote and registering people for the upcoming elections. Others are working with Latino organizations, community health and wellness, and environmental issues, to name a few.

Arias herself has created workshops for high school students and their parents on how to navigate the world of higher education. She plans to grow this into a non-profit organization, as she continues to volunteer and be a part of the alumnae association.

“The scholarship gave me the confidence to pay it forward,” said Arias. “It’s been five years of non-stop sharing and facilitating.”

Arias in an example of so many other CLF alumnae who have turned their scholarships and training through the organization into a plus. In a recent survey conducted by more than 600 alumnae, CLF concluded that their scholars doubled the rate of educational attainment compared to state averages for Latino students. Also, more than 90% were the first member of their family to attend college; more than half were from immigrant families; nearly one third succeeded in college despite their undocumented status; and more than 80% remained engaged with their Alumnae Network (with more than two-thirds serving as mentors and volunteers to their programs).

Conclusion

Other impressive statistics included the following: 88% of CLF alumnae attending community colleges obtained degrees compared to the statewide average of 40% among Latinos. Also, almost 95% of CLF participants enrolled in California’s State University system completed their degrees in contrast to Latino’s statewide average of 50%. More than 95% of CLF participants enrolled in this system completed degrees compared to 70% of Latinos statewide.

“We have had 500 years of colonization and knowing where we’ve come from. There was this big push to deny our culture and identity and we understand the impact that this has had on our community,” said Ayala. “Yet we see Latinas and Chicanas do things with grit, perseverance, and this idea of wanting to help others succeed. We have been the warriors who are willing to do the work to transform our society.” •