Meet Zaida Ismatul Oliva, our new Executive Director.
Zaida’s path to becoming chica project’s new Executive Director was not a straight line. Not a set timeline of milestones or checklist to tick off in a particular order.
The things that are meant to be yours will be yours. They will come.
Zaida was a non-traditional college student, going back as an adult after youth work and social work. Thinking she would study Exercise and Health Science, she set down that course and quickly realized it was not for her. Eventually she found her way to a degree that made her heart sing. . .
Latin American and Iberian Studies: Language, Culture and Society. Fate must’ve known she would someday be leading an organization dedicated to celebrating Latinx Culture and Society, passionate about opening doors of opportunity for Black and Brown girls like her (and windows and fences if necessary).
Zaida is a Guatemalan woman with an indigenous last name, and a first name of Arabic origin. A bi-cultural, proud immigrant, first in family, English-language learner, dual citizen. Now with a Master’s of Education in Higher Education Leadership—leading chica project into its next decade. Into a future young Women of Color nationwide (dare we say, worldwide?) can boldly step into, empowered with skills, networks, self-confidence and JOY.
Our movement of women helping women shapes not just chicas’ lives, but their communities, our country and our world. Zaida’s experience, most recently at Bunker Hill Community College, includes directing dual enrollment and early college related programming, conducting outreach, recruiting 60-90 mentors annually, spearheading curriculum and trainings for academic achievement and cultural competency. How lucky are we to have her bring those talents to bear on chica project. We have had an extraordinary first decade of success. With Zaida leading our powerful team, Imagine us at 20!
Zaida talks about chica project as being close to her heart: “I have a 3-year-old child named Luna. I want her to see how women function in a world that demands room at the table and opens room for others at the table. We need to create the spaces that have not been there for us to DISTURB.”
We cannot wait to see Zaida shake things up.
“I made decisions during crossroads in my life by talking to my village. I want every girl, every young woman, every woman to have a VILLAGE behind her, with her. All the way.”
—Zaida Ismatul Oliva