Maria Yolisma

A native of Durango, Mexico, and resident of East Dallas, Texas, Maria Yolisma is a first-generation Mexican-American immigrant who has used her personal experiences to fight for those in her community. An alumna of the University of Texas at Arlington she studied public relations and emerging media and uses her skillsets to continue to elevate the stories of others and uplift online campaigns. During her time at Woodrow Wilson High School, she wanted to further advocate for her undocumented and migrant peers to ensure they had college access. This brought her to become a part of the North Texas Dream Team to which has served as a platform for her to lead in large scale DACA clinics from 2015-2017 while also rallying alongside the team to fight for just policy locally and nationally. She stood at the forefront of ensuring that undocumented Texan students receive fair tuition treatment by speaking to elected officials and testifying in committee hearings against policies made to repeal in-state tuition.