Dr. Nayeli Aranda

I attribute my success to discipline and my faith. There's a Bible verse that has been very vital in my journey - it's Jeremiah 29:11. My daughter was definitely someone I was not planning for at a young age, but she definitely provided me with strength and hope that I didn't know I had. My family, my friends, my mentors have all been important, but primarily my discipline. I feel like people can be there for you, but at the end of the day, one has the decision to decide what they want to do. People can set everything on a gold platter, but if you don't take the initiative to do it, because things are never easy, they have never been, and we have to discipline ourselves especially in times that are not easy. If it was easy, we would all do it. I've been praised by the community, but I didn't really have the support of my biological family. Along the way, I've met people, and I always say that God has provided me with individuals in my life as reminders of His love for me.

The best career advice I received was to ensure that whatever profession or whatever place I decide to work, to ensure that I do it with the heart. Because then I will never need to work again.

I would tell them that we unfortunately still live in a world where it's dominated by men, and that it's never easy, but if that is what their heart truly wants and desires, to not let go. Eventually, they will persevere, and if they don't do it, who else is gonna do it for them? Who else is gonna do it for their loved ones, for their generations? Within us, we have the power to create that ripple effect for the people we love. We have the power to break cycles and chains. If I wouldn't have changed my pathway, I would have essentially been like my biological mom, and then provided that to my daughter. But now when she marks on applications what's your parents' highest degree, she can now mark doctorate, and she has a high expectation, a high standard that is the least that we will settle for. It's never gonna be easy, but it's totally worth it. And to rely on other women, to seek out mentorship. We definitely need a lot of mentorship, and to seek out other women who are on the same journey, or want to persevere, because you need each other. It can be a lonely path, but it doesn't have to be that way.

The biggest challenges are men in leadership, a lot of politics, democracy, and the constant power struggle that toxic masculinity can bring. It's across organizations where men are dominant in fields for several reasons. Then it's white women in leadership, and after that, men of color, and then finally women of color. It takes a lot. Lack of funding is also an issue. We still are in situations where women are still getting paid less than men. Sometimes I've been offered positions in leadership, like at the universities and other organizations, and I won't take it because I still have to pay my bills, and I would need to take a pay cut. Right now with the district, I feel safe that I have an equitable pay based on the fact that I speak both languages, that I'm a female, that I'm young, and what I've obtained. We're on a teacher's salary scale, so that doesn't matter. It's the only job I've been able to find that they pay me based on what I truly am, what I am valued for.

The values most important to me are compassion, humility, trust, transparency, education, community, partnership, family, collaboration, and kindness.