This story originated from Sol del Valle and has been translated and edited for English readers.
Yesenia Silva Estrada is a prominent member of the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valley communities. She recently took on the title of vice president of planning and chief of staff at Colorado Mountain College. In this role, she focuses on strategic planning and ensuring the college meets their goals established in their strategic plan. From immigrant to advocate, Silva Estrada remains connected to her roots to help others.
“I’m a proud first-generation college graduate, a Latina, a mother, an immigrant; and I consider myself a lifelong, or career-long, advocate for creating educational opportunities, especially for our rural mountain communities,” Estrada told Sol del Valle.
“My career has been dedicated to transforming education, because I truly believe that education can be a huge, powerful way of lifting economic mobility for individuals and their families,” she continued. “It can be really transformational, especially for those students who are not typically represented in college completion.”
Growing up as an immigrant in Carbondale and being the oldest sister in her Mexican family, Estrada pointed out that these experiences influenced her passion. Although she initially considered studying accounting, her experiences as a first-generation student coupled with encouragement from her grandmother — who instilled in her the power of learning — led her to a career in education.
“I always felt at the intersection of knowing where I come from … and education … is such a beautiful place where I can learn,” said Estrada. “The dream of going to college often seemed pretty distant, but as I went through it and surpassed all of the challenges, I was able to acquire an education. I think that for most of us, if not all first-generation students, it’s an experience that shapes us.”
After graduating from college, Estrada began investigating and noticed that students with similar backgrounds were “an exception in the system, not an expectation.” She noticed that immigrants, English-language learners and low-income students weren’t equally represented in the college sphere.
“It fueled a passion, [while] asking myself, ‘What can I do about it? How can I contribute, especially in our local communities?’” Estrada stated. “I had lived in Denver for a couple of years and I could see that there were a lot more resources. But coming back to my community, I didn’t [see] that and many students were missing out on critical information to be able to access an education, and to be able to complete it.”
For years, Estrada has given back to her community by working with nonprofit organizations and for CMC, including previously heading the college’s TRIO Upward Bound pre-collegiate program in West Garfield County, meant for first-generation and low-income students. “I brought a lot of my personal, lived and professional experience to those programs,” she explained.
As of late, “I’ve been able to do [that] more at a systemic level — working with teams, working with an entire institution on how we do this on a large scale,” she continued.
Estrada stays connected with her community by listening, being present and engaging, whether it be with students, families or community leaders. To ensure that she is, indeed, listening to her community, Estrada uses a simple approach: Not assuming that her experience is synonymous with that of others’.
“When I was starting college 15 or 20 years ago, it was a different time [with] different challenges than what we see now,” she said. “I always approach bringing solutions … with a very humble approach, knowing that I don’t know it all.”
Currently, “I’m helping the college think strategically about what our housing investments should be as an institution,” Estrada said. “Even though we’re in education, we will not be able to be a successful higher education institution if we don’t recognize some of the biggest challenges that our students have — one of them being housing.”
Estrada offered some advice for students or folks who are looking to create a positive impact in their community.
“First, own your story,” she said. “It’s much more than knowing your roots; it’s owning that. It’s about owning who you are, your lived experiences. That really is where your strength resides.”
She also mentioned the importance of building relationships.
“You are really the product of generations of your ancestors, but in the present time you are the product of all the support that you receive around you,” Estrada concluded.
