ACC Community Assistant Spotlight: Destiny Diaz

Destiny brings inclusive events and a passion for giving back to North District at the University of California, Riverside

College is a big transition, and having a supportive community is critical to students finding a home away from home. The community assistants (CA) at ACC's 180 communities help residents connect with each other through both events and everyday hangouts. Through our mental wellness initiative with Hi, How Are You Project, CAs also receive peer-to-peer education training to help students care for their mental health and get support when needed.

Destiny Diaz, a CA at North District at University of California, Riverside, is a natural fit for the role. She's a psychology major who's adept at supporting students and organizing mental wellness events. As a first-generation college student, she's brought valuable perspective to the North District community. Her excellent grades, campus involvement and passion for giving back earned her a spot on ACC's Dean's List. It's surprising to hear this outgoing, confident leader say she was shy when she first came to UCR. She credits her CA role with helping her break out of her shell.

We talked to Destiny about her experience as a CA and the impact she's made.

What brought you to the University of California, Riverside?

Going to college has been my number one goal since I was younger, because I'm first generation. I got quite a few college acceptances. But when I visited the campuses, I felt like Riverside was more diverse, and that was something I really wanted in a university: To be surrounded by different kinds of people with different life stories.

Why was it important to you to be the first person in your family to attend college?

My mom had my two oldest siblings by the time she was 16 and had me in her early 20s. Growing up, I saw what my mom had sacrificed and everything she'd done to give us a good life. From elementary school, I was like, "Okay, I'm going to be the one. I'm going to make sure I go to college." I've always been a school person, and I worked hard, took all the AP classes, and was in clubs and on the student council. I wanted to make sure I could get into the colleges I wanted. My mom was my main motivation to keep going when things got hard. She's been my number one supporter.

How did you become a CA?

When I was in my second year, I lived at North District with some of my friends. I knew my CA that lived on my floor and went to a lot of the programs and events they organized. I was looking for a job to save up money and also help my family when they needed it, so when they emailed all the residents about an open CA position I thought, "This could be something fun."

I've always enjoyed planning events, but I was also interested in working with people. When I was in high school, I was very shy, and when I came to college, I slowly started coming out of my shell. But I wanted to do that more, and being a CA would push me to test my boundaries and gain more skills. It's a really versatile position.

What are some of your favorite experiences as a CA?

The part I love most is getting to know people, even if it's just a quick conversation-being kind and letting them know I'm here for them. It's helped me grow as a person to become more extroverted. I've also done a lot of mental health programs, like self-care nights where we invited people to make lip scrubs, gave out face masks and talked about habits to take care of your mental health.

The event I'm most proud of is our Day of the Dead celebration. I'm Mexican, and a fellow CA and I put it together. We invited residents to paint sugar skulls on rocks, to decorate paper picture frames and to upload pictures of their lost loved ones. We created an altar with the framed pictures and skulls, which we kept up the whole month of October. It was really special because residents are away from home and may not be able to celebrate with their families, but we were able to do that for them.

What are some of the ways in which you give back to the community?

I was the philanthropy chair of my sorority, Alpha Pi Sigma, for two years and was just elected president. I did a lot of community service in high school and have always had a passion for helping the homeless. So, I found an organization in Riverside called Operation SafeHouse, which houses runaway or homeless youth, and partnered with a local grocery store to organize canned food drives for them. This year, we focused on organizing raffles to raise money for House of Ruth, a local women's shelter for victims of domestic violence.

Why is giving back so important to you?

When I was younger, there were times when my family struggled. My mom has always been a really giving person and instilled the mindset that any of us could face hard times, even if we're OK today, and we'd want somebody to help us. So, whenever I've had the opportunity to help out people in my community, I've always taken it.

What are your plans after graduation?

I'm a psychology major and am applying to grad school. I'd like to get into clinical and mental health counseling. I've always been that person people go to when they need someone to talk to. I have a close member of my family who has struggled with mental health for most of her life. So, helping people for a living really appeals to me.

What advice would you give to other first-generation college students?

Find something that motivates you. It could be money, a career or a person. For me it's my mom. Being first-generation is hard because you're doing things alone and finding your own way. On days where you're tired, that motivation helps remind you why you're doing this and keeps you going. And it helps to have great people around you-my resident director, Monique Burke, has been amazing at encouraging my dreams and helping me navigate my path forward.

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