Welcome, the Unbeneevals to the Daily Elena, a podcast where I'll be sharing stories of people who are first generation in the United States, in college, or in the workforce. Spaces where being a first generation can be both difficult and exciting to navigate. I'm your host, Elena, and I'm excited for you to come on this journey with me of meeting other leaders across the United States and getting inspiration and motivation as you navigate school, work, and life in general. In this episode, I want to share what I've been up to as a PhD candidate in higher education, as a first generation immigrant, and as a human.
I've shared in previous episodes how I used to be undocumented, and fortunately, I'm now a US citizen, and I was able to adjust my status through my husband Eduardo, who is a citizen, and he's considered my official sponsor within my immigration process. I also used to have DACA, so I was DACA-mented, and DACA is a temporary work permit that allows you to legally work in the US, and unfortunately, right now, the DACA program, it's not taking any new applications. And I share all of this because I want to make sure that listeners of the Daily Elena podcast understand all of the different emotions that come with being part of the immigrant community. I used to think that as soon as I became a citizen, it would get so much better that I wouldn't have any more fear or anxiety, and that I wouldn't feel the sense of questioning my place in the US.
Well, I was wrong. I'm a citizen, and there's not a day that goes by that I don't think back to those experiences of not having babbelies, or just feeling an overall sense of fear for our community. And being a citizen does come with a lot of privileges. I'm so fortunate that I do have a social that I'm able to work, that I'm able to get a passport, and what I have also learned is that in that same experience, fear and stress and anxiety can also coexist.
In today's episode, I want to share what has been helping me get through this presidential administration with a specific emphasis on undocumented joy, and I will also share about my latest adventures in Mexico, and my experience so far in my last year as a PhD candidate in the higher education program. Are you familiar with the word undocumented joy? This term was initially created by Undocupo Yosimar Reyes as a reminder for undocumented communities to prioritize moments of resistance that push back against the pressures of everyday life as an undocumented immigrant with the goal of century joy. So in January, I read the book, A Legalized Undocumented Youth Movement in the United States, and in chapter four of the book, well, it's titled Partiness Political, and it opens up with a paragraph about Undocujoy, and it had me reflecting on the types of barriers that can exist in simply trying to go out for a night of dancing in the US as an immigrant.
I also think this is a good example of the everyday realities and experiences for immigrants in the US that to simply go out and enjoy a night of dancing amongst friends is actually political. In his book, A Legalized Undocuoy Scholar, Dr. Rafael Martinez explores Undocujoy through the experiences of clubbing. Dr.
Martinez shares nightclubs become a physical site in the social imagery where undocumented youth and allied community members can come out of the shadows with their immigration status, gender performance, racial, ethnic, and cultural expressions and sexuality. In his book, Dr. Martinez introduces a case study about the Gumbia Thon, Artevist Movement, as he writes about partying being political. So what does that mean?
That partying is political. Consider this. In many states in the US where undocumented individuals are not able to get a driver's license or ID, they instead navigate life using documents such as their matricula or identification documents from the countries that they're from. So in attempting to go to a nightclub and the bouncer asks for an ID, if someone doesn't have a US state issued ID, they would then present their international type of identification.
And there's a risk here of being denied entry into the nightclub as security might decide that a non-US ID is not sufficient documentation to gain entry into the nightclub. In this example, US border type practices are exhibited within the structure and design of nightclub entry. So yes, partying is political. Gumbia Thon, the example of the dance party shared in this book, was created with the aim of centering women, trans and queer people of color both on the dance floor and in the DJ booth.
The goal was to have a giant Latin dance party where marginalized people could freely be themselves in a safe and inclusive space. And my goal with sharing this example of a docujoy is to share ways that our communities have enacted resistance. Resistance might look like joining a protest, calling your state representatives, donating to a fundraiser to support immigrant communities, or it might look like freely moving your body and dancing to Gumbia's andreggadon. Right now, we've seen the attacks by ICE and the Trump administration on our people.
We've heard people scream and heard their cries. And when we see arrests, I think a lot of us directly relate to the people being taken, kidnapped by ICE. Those are our neighbors, and they could be us too. So it's more important now than ever that we find ways to reenergize so that we can keep advocating against ICE and harmful immigration practices.
And speaking of dancing and joy, this past winter break, I had the opportunity to visit Mexico for a few weeks. My birthday also happens to be in December, so during my winter vacations, I made sure to celebrate. We flew from Ere Mosi, also known to Guadalajara Jalisco, and we rented a car in Guadalajara. That process took about two hours, and we were really hungry afterwards.
But we found this little restaurant right by the place where we rented the car. It was a restaurant that sold Bria, and we thought, well, the restaurant was super close, super nearby, and we like Bria so we're like, yeah, let's eat there. And as we started talking to the owner of the Bria to our surprise, we learned that he used to live in Pasco, Washington. We shared a few stories about living in Washington.
He also used to work in agriculture. So it was a really nice interaction with the kindest señor who made us feel at home. And the name of the restaurant is called Bria Ria Juanma. And they're on Instagram.
I also made sure to add a link here in the show notes. So if you're in Guadalajara, I would recommend visiting. We drove to Aquila Mi Chocan, and that was about a four-hour drive. And Aquila, that's where I was born.
So that following week, we had the opportunity to spend time there with my parents, with other family members, and the time it went by so fast. During one of the days that we were in Aquila, we had the chance to go visit my parents at Rancho, and they have cattle. So it was just a lot of fun being able to interact with farm animals in a way that we don't get the opportunity to do in the United States. That's still something that fascinates me.
I'm able to just hang out with a few cows and maybe a bull. That's not something I do in the US. So when I go to Mexico, it's something that I really appreciate. And for this next part of the episode, I want to share some of the Rancho sounds that I heard when I went to the Rancho.
And these sounds include running water, which is from a little stream that runs right in front of the Rancho. I'll be sharing sounds of walking around the Rancho, horses chewing their food, and also sounds of hooves. We were riding a horse as well. Enjoy.
This is from Buenavar, and those are some sounds of the Rancho, and there's a little stream where my parents' houses. And it's so relaxing to just stand by it. So I wanted to make sure that I shared those sounds here. In our first weekend, Mexico, we had a lot of fiesta's planned, and the time went by so quick.
So my cousin Jessica, she was celebrating her birthday in a town called San Juan Dalima, and a few days later, my cousin Viane was celebrating her quincea, also in San Juan Dalima. And that town, it's right along the beach. There's a lot of shops, restaurants, and hotels. And it's also a place that I would recommend visiting if you are wanting to visit me Chacan.
My birthday celebration came next. And the day of my birthday, I woke up to the beautiful sounds of the ocean. We stayed at a hotel called Gamila Palace in San Juan Dalima, and I had a coco, a coconut, as part of my birthday celebration. And afterwards, we headed to the state of Guilima for my birthday, which was about a two-hour drive.
I loved celebrating my birthday alongside my family, and at first, I had told myself that I was going to have a low-key celebration super chill, just hanging out at the Airbnb and enjoying the heated pool. And the pool, it was really nice, and the Airbnb itself, it was really nice. But there's also this place in Guilima, it's called Don Guomelon, which I didn't know what it would be like, but it's kind of like a night club, like music, a super fun environment. So after I was like, okay, I'm just going to chill, enjoying the Airbnb.
We did head there, and I was so glad we did, because it was fun. And especially being around my cousins and dancing, it was the perfect way to celebrate my birthday. One of the highlights as well from going to Don Guomelon was the banda that was performing. They played Las Manenitas, and if you're in Mexico and Las Manenitas are getting sung to you on your birthday, that's just such a special feeling.
So here is an audio clip from that night. So it was my first time at Don Guomelon in Guilima, and they had a banda playing. The whole experience was fun with the banda interacting with the crowd, and the seating itself, it was restaurant type seating. There was probably a few hundred people there, and then the banda members, they would come and dance and sing on your table, like standing on it.
So I also recommend this place if you're looking for a high energy type of environment, that's where you go. And that's one of the highlights of my trip to Mexico. It was being able to listen to live music. So whether it was mariachi, groupos, or banda, when I think back to joy and resisting against the hate that's aimed at immigrant communities, I think about the ways that we embody joy.
And I think we do that as a community through the decision to be with family, friends. If we see there's a banda performing, a groupo, it's dancing with them, singing with them, and enjoying the beautiful sounds of mariachi as well. I also reflect on how it's only been seven years since I've had the opportunity to be going back to Mexico. And I still feel like I have so much catching up to do.
And whenever we go there, the time just goes by really fast. But overall, I'm very, very fortunate that I had the opportunity to spend a few weeks in Mexico. And also for the past few years, when I had gone to Mexico in December, I was also usually working because of the jobs that I had. So I didn't have a lot of time off that I could take.
So I would be there in Mexico at my parents' house, but making sure I was connected to the internet, checking my emails, working. And this time, for the first time in a while, I didn't have to work. And that was just such a nice feeling where you could just unplug and fully be present. And our last few days in Mexico were spent in Jalisco with my husband's family, and the town that we went to, it's called Conseption de Buenos Aires.
And one of the highlights is that when we visit the town during that time, which is the last week of December, and the first few weeks of January, is that the town has their celebrations, they call them the fiestas, and they include a lot of their local vendors in the town square, a lot of dancing, so much live music. There's a lot of little boestos like vendors that set up, and then they have music, they have food. So it's a really fun time that you get to spend with family, and also just tasting different kinds of tequila. Overall, being in Mexico, it was a reset.
After having finished the fall semester as a PhD student, and during the fall semester, I was doing a lot of writing, a lot of editing. I've been doing my PhD for, this is my fifth year now, but the last, I would say the last two years have been a lot, a lot of writing, a lot of thinking, and my mind and body really needed a break. So the theme of this podcast is the importance of moving through dance and allowing yourself the time to reset through live music, and specifically groupos, bandas, and mariachi, but also making sure that you're surrounding yourself with a good community. Like I mentioned, I'm in my last year of my PhD program in higher education, and in December I was able to fully draft out my dissertation, which is like a huge, huge win and a really big milestone.
So my research topic is about Latinx undocumented transfer students and how they navigate college affordability amongst transfer pathways in Washington State. Part of doing a PhD program is writing out a dissertation, and mine has six chapters, and you can think about the dissertation as a really big research paper, and it's one that you fully write. So for my dissertation, I'm the one who came up with my research topic, I designed my study, I created the materials to recruit participants, I'm the one who came up with the interview questions, so I'm the one that's fully in charge of this. And now I'm writing about this process, so that's what the dissertation is, is after you've taken a lot of these steps to come up with your research question, to come up with the people that you want to interview, now you write about it.
And I have a committee of four Latina faculty who have provided me with guidance and mentorship, they are amazing, and in March I will be doing what's called the Fending, My Dissertation, which is where I get to present my research to my committee and demonstrate my expertise as a researcher. During this time of writing my dissertation, of continuing to edit it, revise it, I also am finishing up, like I'm finishing up my last year of being a PhD student. What this means is I am ready to go into the workforce, I want to work full time after I graduate. I've been working as a graduate student, I've had a graduate assistantship for the last two years, and that position ends in May, so I will be needing a full time job as of May, and I'm really fortunate that I do have a graduate assistantship, it comes with a small stipend to help with living expenses, and then it does fully pay my tuition.
I've talked about assistantships in previous episodes too, so it's a really good way to be able to go to grad school, that's also what I did for my master's degree, but yes, I'm ready to join the workforce and get a full time job. I've recently been seeing the 2016 Challenge on social media, it's where people share pictures of what they were doing in 2016, and I looked back through my pictures on Instagram and Facebook to see what it was that I was doing in 2016, and it was a funny realization to see that what I was doing in 2016, it's pretty much what I'm doing now in 2026, 10 years later. So, for example, in 2016, I was writing my thesis, and I was finishing up my last year as a master's student at Eastern Washington University, and as I was finishing that up, I was also applying two jobs and interviewing for roles in higher education. The assistantship that I had then, it was teaching communication classes, like public speaking classes, and that job was ending in June, so I was like, I gotta go into the workforce.
And now, 10 years later, I'm working on my dissertation, finishing up my last year as a doctoral student, while also being in the job market and interviewing for roles in higher education. I remember in 2016, when I was looking at jobs, I was interviewing for roles that were closer to the East Coast, and this time I'm looking for roles that are either remote, that are based out of Tucson, Arizona, which is where I live, or that are in Washington State, which is where I grew up. And I also want to share that through this whole navigating the job industry, looking for jobs, in December, I did get a job offer for a role with Washington State University, and my first instinct was to say yes to this job. I felt like it would be a really good fit, and I really did think, like, I'm gonna take this role, but I did ask for a few days to think about it, and the job itself would be in Pullman, Washington, which is about maybe two hours from where my family lives in Washington State, and I was just thinking, is this the best time for me to move?
Am I really prepared to go back, kind of shift what I'm doing now to having a full-time job, and I would have about three weeks to do that? After thinking about it, doing some deep reflection, consulting with my family, and my mentors, I realized that I would need to turn the role down. And that was a really hard decision to make, because again, I said, like, I was ready to take this job, it was not a good fit, and I didn't feel like it would be possible for me at that time to move from Tucson, Arizona to Pullman, Washington. But I was really, really excited at the idea of working for a university like Washington State University.
I don't think that 2016 me would have ever thought about turning down a job offer, but 2026 me now understands the importance of taking time to pause and really think about what my future goals are, and where I see myself. Here are three things that I'd like for the listeners of the Daily Elena podcast to take away from this episode. Takeaway number one, reflect on the ways that you've engaged in activities that might be a way of resistance within this administration, and the things that bring you joy. Maybe it's journaling in the morning, spending time outside, or dancing with friends.
How is it that you practice on doggy joy? Takeaway number two, surround yourself with people that you can truly be yourself with, and make it a point to spend time together in person. Who are the people that you are surrounding yourself with? Take some time to reflect.
Takeaway number three, think back to 2016. What are the ways that you've changed, and what are some habits or practices that you now do in 2026 that you're proud of? For me, it's really taking time to reflect about job offers and turning down a role if I don't think that it's going to be a good fit for me. And I would love to see how you've applied either of these three takeaways or your thoughts and reflections on overall takeaways from this episode.
Let me know by sharing your thoughts. I'm Emily at the daily Elena at gmail.com. And you can also send your message on Instagram at the daily Elena underscore podcast, and I'll be sharing responses in next month's episode. Thank you for tuning into this year's first episode of the daily Elena, a podcast where you'll hear first gen stories regarding how people navigate career paths, cultural identity, intersectionality, and stories of success.
Tune in wherever you listen to podcast to hear our next first gen story.