It’s been over a decade since Daniel Liera-Huchim has worked in the fields harvesting produce.
Since then, Liera-Huchim, the director of equity and student relations at Treasure Valley Community College, became, along with his sister, the first in his migrant family to earn a college degree. He has been the head of the department since 2020.
Liera-Huchim joined a group of speakers at the Latino Wellness Conference at Four Rivers Cultural Center last month, where he talked about his path from the fields to attending college.
The son of migrant parents, Liera-Huchim’s father came to the U.S. in the 1980s. His father was granted full citizenship in 1986 when President Ronald Reagan signed an executive order that granted amnesty to nearly 3 million undocumented immigrants who had lived in the U.S. before 1982. Liera-Huchim’s father later met his mother in Mexico.
Liera-Huchim, who grew up in Weiser, said his father wanted his son to work in the fields, to gain a strong work ethic, instead of playing sports. So, after school, when other kids were heading off to soccer or football practice, Liera-Huchim would run home, change into his work clothes and ride his bicycle to the fields where his father was working.
“I would put my bike in the back of the truck, pick up my hoe and start working,” he said.
Liera-Huchim said his father had always encouraged him to pursue his education, especially since his grandparents on his mother’s side were educators in Mexico. His father often told him that while he did not have much to pass on to him, he could help support him to become successful in life.
Liera-Huchim recognized that education was a pathway out of the fields.
“I knew I could become something,” he said. “I didn’t know what. I just knew that I needed to be in education.”
Now 32, Liera-Huchim realizes that a traditional, college-oriented, education is not for everyone. But, he said, there are different types of education, such as vocational education and trade school certification, that are valuable.
Liera-Huchim, who graduated from the University of Idaho with a degree in Spanish, said he initially wanted to earn a degree in radio broadcasting, but he didn’t feel his English was strong enough at that time.
However, he said he learned more about English on a linguistic level than he had anticipated. He also learned about the history and culture of Spanish-speaking countries, their relationships with the U.S., and how the policies involving those countries influence the economy, politics and war.
“You’re not only learning about Latin America,” he said. “You’re learning about the world.”
He noted the Latino community’s desire for equity and racial justice. However, he said sometimes those communities need to acknowledge xenophobia, homophobia and biases that also exist in those cultures.
Liera-Huchim, who earned his degree in 2015, said college provided for him his first experience around other people who were not Latino. While he had attended a high school that was majority white, he didn’t spend time with those students after class.
Then, in college, his roommates at the dorms were white, and the students across the hallway were Black.
Liera-Huchim said he bonded with the white and Black students mainly over food. He would bring Mexican breads and heat up burritos for himself and his classmates.
Those experiences made him realize their commonalities rather than differences.
“We hung out,” he said. “We all wanted to have fun, meet girls and just be kids.”
Liera-Huchim said said when people think of a first-generation student, they typically think of a non-white student. However, the biggest population of first-generation students are white Americans coming from challenging, low income, circumstances, he said.
Liera-Huchim said the biggest misperception when considering diversity, equity and inclusion involves “external” factors. He said many people think the focus is just on race – and there has been diversity, equity, and inclusion work in higher education and the corporate sector for decades, seeking to fix the wrongs of racial injustice.
However, he said, diversity also takes into account class differences, personalities and cognitive abilities, among other factors.
Liera-Huchim said some white people feel threatened when they hear diversity, equity and inclusion, given how divisive the topic has become.
“That’s when we have to remind them that this encompasses you as well,” he said.
Liera-Huchim said the department has been looking at other institutions that have begun using different names for the departments, such as diversity, equity and belonging or diversity, equity and justice.
The backlash to the work of diversity, equity and inclusion is varied, depending on the part of the country, said Liera-Huchim.
The TVCC program is now in its fourth year. Liera-Huchim was named the director of what in 2020 was called the Multicultural Diversity Center.
He said the department has a staff of peer mentors who work with students and professors to help students stay on track when their grades slip. Additionally, he said, the department works in the community with other minority groups and handles student conduct issues.
He said the center also works with students regarding social, mental health and economic issues.
“The center belongs to everyone,” he said. “Not just people of color.”
News tip? Send your information to Steven Mitchell at [email protected].
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