LEAD Faculty and Mentors

Meet the LEAD Team

Faculty Members  

'navasteve@fhda.edu'

Steve Nava
Instructor, Sociology

navasteve@deanza.edu
408.864.8200
Visit Steve Nava's Website

• Want to know more about Steve?

  Born in a working-poor neighborhood in San Antonio, Texas, I got involved in ethnographic research on local Chicana/o social justice grassroots organizations that merged art and activism while I attended the University of Texas in San Antonio. I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2001 to attend graduate school at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where I studied critical social theory.

  In addition to teaching, I am currently working on several professional development and equity projects on campus, including the Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW); De Anza Latinx Association (DALA); the Office of Equity, Social Justice and Multicultural Education; the Social Science and Humanities Equity Core team); UndocuAlly; and the Latinx Empowerment at De Anza (LEAD) program for the 2019-2020 academic year. When I am not working on these efforts I am enjoying my wonderful family and friends’ company.  I love teaching and building community because I believe healing and building each other up is how we can build a new, more peaceful society.

'riveraliliana@fhda.edu'

Liliana Rivera
Counselor/Co-Coordinator, Puente

riveraliliana@deanza.edu
408.864.8780

• Want to know more about Lili?

  Lili graduated from Napa Valley College with an associate degree in social and behavioral sciences, and then transferred to the University of California, Davis.  She received a bachelor's degree in sociology with an emphasis in law and society. Lili went on to get her master's degree in counseling with an emphasis in college counseling from San Francisco State University. She strongly believes in the saying, “Always a Student,” because as an educator, she believes that we never stop learning nor growing.

  During her free time, she enjoys reading, journaling, attending music concerts, traveling abroad and spending time with loved ones. Lili also spends her time volunteering for the Big Brothers, Big Sisters organization where she mentors a sophomore student in high school. In 2017, the city of Napa, Mayor Jill Techel and the Big Brothers, Big Sisters organization honored Lili as North Bay-Napa “Big Sister of the Year.”

  Lili is the proud daughter of two immigrant parents from Mexico. Lili is bilingual in Spanish and English. Apart from working and volunteering Lili’s favorite place to visit is her dad’s small hometown – Guanajuato, Mexico, known as "El Sabino."

LEAD Mentors

Jessica Arceo Valencia

There are two things I can't live without: Mexican coffee and posole. Every year I get the chance to travel to Mexico for a few months, enjoying the food and culture. My favorite place to visit is Morelia, Mexico. It is such a beautiful city, with Bay Area weather.

I started at De Anza in fall 2017. As a first-generation college student, I learned the system by myself for the first year and a half. I never thought of asking anyone for help. I struggled in balancing my busy life, from working in daycare to sitting for three-plus hour lectures. I spoke about my struggles to my Spanish instructor, Kimberly Vinall, who is a fantastic person with a big heart. She guided me to the resources I needed to help balance my life. Since I enjoyed her teaching, I signed up for her Intro to Peer Mentorship/Leadership Communication class, which led to becoming a mentor in her Spanish courses.

My goal is to help boost your confidence in speaking Spanish. You are welcome to come to the MCC to study or to grab a bite. Most of all, I am excited to see the new members of ¡LEAD!

Kyla Dizon 

I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. My favorite type of food is fruit. I’m very passionate about reading and writing. I love the whole idea of being able to express myself through writing, and as well as being given the chance to put myself in someone else’s shoes through reading.

I started at De Anza College in fall of 2019 as a Business Administration major. To my surprise, I was signed up for a LEAD English class with my wonderful professor, Veronica Acevedo Avila. In this class we were able to not just strengthen our ability to read and write, but also deepen our knowledge in empathy and compassion relating to issues in this campus. After this quarter, I was offered the position of being a LEAD mentor.

As a LEAD mentor, my goal is to give a helping hand to those that need help. I would like to create a safe and comfortable environment where students feel at ease with asking questions and assistance. I believe that not getting help and having unanswered questions should never hinder students’ path to success. All in all, I’m very excited to build strong connections with my peers and to be a part of their journeys.

Martha Cecilia Osuna

I have become a seeker of peace and a lover of hot chocolate. In my free time, I enjoy collage painting and writing short meaningful passages as a representation of my mind and life. I love to challenge and be challenged. Three of my most important values are family, life and the process of healing.

I started at De Anza College in the fall of 2019 with the determination and unique goals of a first-generation college student. Throughout my education, I have built a strong background of leadership, and one of my priorities going into college was to continue doing just that. I strongly believe leadership creates an understanding and ease of living, and it instills knowledge that will positively expand your life. Through the LEAD program, I met my amazing English teacher Veronica Acevedo, who introduced me to the wonderful opportunity of mentoring. Now I am enrolled in the Intro to Peer Mentoring/ Leadership/ Comm course. The more I learn new ideas and so many more things, the happier I will be.

As a LEAD mentor, my goal is to not only offer a safe place but most importantly be your support system. From personal experience, I know the importance of having someone be your guide and support- exactly what I want to be for students. There will be nothing more beautiful in this new experience than creating a bond to help you succeed and create beautiful friendships. There is so much purpose and heart put into wanting to be a helping hand, a mentor and a leader. I am beyond thrilled and honored to be a part of this new journey.

 “If you can dream it, you can do it.”