50 Most Influential Latinos

Daniela Rodriguez

Lead Organizer

Savannah Undocumented Youth Alliance (SUYA)

Lead Organizer and a founding member of Savannah Undocumented Youth Alliance (SUYA) which is an organization that advocates for the immigrant community of Savannah, GA , and near areas in the deep south of GA. I am a former student of Georgia Southern University/Armstrong campus. My graduation ceremony was this past May. I was able to attend college thanks to obtaining major scholarships such as the Goizueta Scholarship Fund, and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund.

I was born in Chiapas Mexico and I emigrated to the United States with my mother when I was 13 years old. I am 24 years old now.

Since 2013, I decided to come out of the shadows, and I have been a strong advocate for my community since then. My main focus has been to advocate for equality in education and to raise awareness about the GA college ban which denies in-state-tuition to undocumented students and also bans them from attending some of the top GA public universities. I strongly believe education is a human right and everyone deserves a chance to higher education, regardless of their immigration status.

My main goal as I continue to be a grassroots activist, is to help make my community a more immigrant friendly place where immigrants can be treated with dignity and respect.

Currently, I am also an intern for Border Angels which is an organization that focuses on U.S-Mexican border justice. This month, I will also be a student of the Neighborhood Leadership Academy of Step Up Savannah at Savannah State University. Earlier this year I was nominated as “Hidden Figure” Honoree by 9to5 Georgia Working Women-Savannah chapter for my commitment to work around DACA, immigration reform, and my work with SUYA in the community which is much needed and addresses the needs of those who do not usually have a voice. I was also featured in American Dreaming Documentary by Matthew Hashiguchi 2 years ago.