A Treasure Valley Community College student who came to Ontario from Iraq and the founder of the nonprofit Euvalcree have been honored as Diversity Champions by the city Diversity Advisory Committee.
Zahra Osamah Aldelay was named the youth champion and Gustavo Morales was named the adult champion during a presentation before the advisory committee on Wednesday, April 16.
In 2015, Aldelay immigrated from Iraq with her family to the U.S., settling in Ontario. She graduated from Ontario High School in 2021 and is in her final year at TVCC, working on an associate’s degree in pre-medicine. She plans to pursue physician assistant studies at Eastern Oregon University.
Aldelay was drawn to medical field after volunteering at Saint Alphonus Medical Center-Ontario. Her ambition is to be obstetrician-gynecologist.
Her parents, Alex and Suzan, each have associate’s degrees from TVCC. According to the presentation, Aldelay pursued her education with “the life-changing support of scholarships, the unwavering encouragement of her family and her strong work ethic.”
At TVCC, she is a peer mentor at the Multicultural Diversity Center and a resident assistant in the college’s student housing. These roles “have shaped her leadership skills and allowed her to uplift students by creating a welcoming and inclusive environment at TVCC,” according to the presentation.
In an interview, Aldelay explained she helps mentor students struggling in classes, participates in cultural events and travels the region recruiting students for TVCC.
She has followed the community debate about the Diversity Advisory Committee, with some people concerned the federal government might stop funding for Ontario projects.
Aldelay supports the committee.
“It opens a lot of doors for us,” she said. “Diversity gives us a chance” to be part of the community.
“Zahra’s journey is a testament to the power of accessible education, the importance of staying true to your roots and the beauty of embracing a new culture,” the presentation said. “She is proud to share her story and advocate for continued support of students like herself.”
Morales grew up in Ontario and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Pacific University in Hillsboro.
He has been executive director of Euvalcree since 2015. The nonprofit provides services to the Hispanic community, growing into a multi-million-dollar operation with more than 40 employees, according to its federal tax return.
In a 2019 interview with the Enterprise, Morales recounted how Euvalcree was formed by local people out of concerns about how the local Hispanic population was being treated.
“They were angry at the public leaders and community members who were blaming Latinos for making Ontario have the highest crime rates, lowest health outcomes, lowest education rates,” he said then.
He has previously served on the Oregon Commission on Hispanic Affairs and currently is on the board of the Oregon Cultural Trust.
In 2017, he worked with then-City Manager Adam Brown to create the city’s Diversity Advisory Committee.
“That is indicative of Mr. Morales’ willingness to successfully participate with officials who are responsible for protecting and representing the best interest of all citizens,” according to the presentation.
“One of the reasons we think Mr. Morales is so deserving of this award and which made me proud to nominate him is instead of identifying and creating issues, he seeks out and implements solutions,” according to the presentation prepared by Billy Carter, a member of the diversity committee.
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