For 26-year-old Ivonne Estrella, volunteering with the ACLU of Arizona has been an opportunity to reconnect with her passion for advocacy and find a community that shares her commitment to social justice. A resident of Maryvale in west Phoenix, Ivonne has been volunteering with the organization for about a year and a half. She says the experience has brought joy back into her life and has helped her better understand community organizing.
Growing up, Ivonne faced challenges in the public school system because of her neurodivergence. She recalls struggling in an environment where her school failed to provide the accommodations and support she needed.
“They were mistreating me. They weren’t including me with other students,” says Ivonne.
It wasn’t until she transferred schools that she began to thrive academically and feel comfortable in the classroom.
“I started going to a classroom that felt like a safe space,” says Ivonne. “I finally felt comfortable going to school when I had a support system.”
Those experiences also taught Ivonne the importance of speaking up for herself and understanding the systemic barriers faced by people with disabilities.
“I had to learn how to self-advocate. Then, when I learned about ableism, I’m like, oh gosh, I’m not the problem. It’s the system,” says Ivonne.
That realization helped shape her interest in social justice and advocacy. In high school, a teacher introduced her to a program called Panthertown, where she began learning more about the issues affecting her community and the different experiences of those around her.
“It felt so different because I learned so much about the reality of the issues we see in our community,” says Ivonne. “How different people have different experiences, because I used to think it was just me!”
As she entered college, Ivonne became increasingly involved in advocacy. However, when she reached 18 and became eligible to vote, she encountered a new challenge: people questioning her ability to make her own decisions at the ballot box.
“I remember I desperately wanted to vote, but everyone told me I wasn’t going to. They didn’t think I was capable of making a choice.”
Determined to exercise her right to vote and educate herself about the electoral process, Ivonne began connecting with people involved in the ACLU’s work. Years later, those connections eventually led her to join the ACLU of Arizona as a youth volunteer.
Today, Ivonne is studying disability studies and nonprofit leadership management at Arizona State University. As a proud member of the neurodivergent community, she continues to draw on her personal experiences to inform her advocacy.
With the upcoming election approaching, Ivonne plans to participate in poll monitoring, continuing her involvement in the civic engagement efforts that initially connected her with the organization.
In addition to advocacy, Ivonne particularly enjoys connecting with others and learning about the issues that matter to them. She welcomes the opportunity to build relationships and hear the perspectives of new ACLU of Arizona volunteers.
“I love doing one-on-ones with folks,” says Ivonne. “They get to hear why I care so much about advocacy and what this means to me, and then I get to hear from them about what they care about – what changes they want to see in the community.”
