With the love for her people and serving others, Alaina has held a deep passion for the restoration of justice and balance. She is grateful for the guidance that she has received from loved ones, and continues to be inspired by her family, those of her communities, and all that surrounds the lands of Mother and Brother Earth.
Alaina attended the University of San Francisco, where she received her BA in Critical Diversity Studies and Sociology in Spring 2019. She then decided to continue her studies with USF as a masters student in the International and Multicultural Education program. Her research has surrounded Native Pacific Islander student activism on college campuses across the Bay Area, in addition to embodied knowledges and its relations to mixed identities.
USFCA - Oceania Indigenous Speech
Climate March - Indigenous Group
Alongside Native CHamoru community organizers based in Guåhan and the United States, Alaina spoke at the United Nations in October 2017 and 2018 in favor of Guåhan’s decolonization from the United States. Rooted in love and CHamoru values of na’lå’la, inafa’maolek and fanohge, the experiences of moving toward political freedom for her island and people has guided deeper connections to her motherlands and relationships to her lineage.
Na’lå’la ~ To give voice
Inafa’maolek ~ To restore harmony and live in balance
Fanohge ~ To rise up
“Alaina Arroyo, for the University of San Francisco Pacific Islander Collective; Ana Bordallo, for Famoksaiyan; Julia Faye Munoz, for the Diablo Valley College Pacific Islands Students Association; Leilani Rania Ganser, for Reed College; Samantha Barnett, for Independent Guåhan; and Tiara Na’Puti, for Guåhan Coalition for Peace and Justice; spoke before the committee on topics ranging from the island's health issues to militarization”
During Alaina’s time in San Francisco, she had the privilege of working at local nonprofit organization, 826 Valencia, where she guided students ages 7-18 in their creative writing skills. 826 Valencia hosts various teams across the city; Alaina was fortunate to be a part of the Tenderloin Centers, which brought students from different schools and after-school programs together to expand on their existing ideas. In the peak of COVID-19, Alaina, along with her colleagues navigated the challenges of online-learning and connecting with youth during such global difficulties. Days consisted of in-school writing programs, podcast development, after-school one-on-one tutoring and creating a 3-week lesson course in Indigenous focused poetry. Alaina has gained a deep appreciation for her students of the Tenderloin District and has carried all that she has learned with her.
