Denisha Renovales

ES- I’ve known you for many years, and you were always the person who stood up for what she believed in and who spoke up whenever you felt it was necessary. Would you consider yourself an activist? And what does being an activist mean to you?

DR- I think that my view of activism is a bit different than what is in the media today. I completely support activists that are out there protesting for equality, and I have even done some protesting myself. With that said, I think another method of protesting is simply being in the classroom. I am a woman, I am Latina…I am NOT expected to have a voice in academia. My status as a college student is activism in itself.

ES- Being at Grinnell College in Iowa, I know that diversity is something you don’t really see around campus or in the classroom. How has this had an affect on you as a student of Puerto Rican decent?

DR- It has definitely made me more aware of my differences, but it has also made me so much more proud of be Latina and be Puerto Rican. It’s really upsetting and unsettling that there are so few of us on college campuses, so I feel that it is my job to make sure people know we have a voice and that we are capable of many things, if not anything.

ES- Coming from a College where the percentage of Latinos is extremely low, do you think this has had a positive impact on you? Have you learned to turn the odds in your favor?

DR- I don’t know if it’s a matter of turning the odds in my favor, it’s more so just a realization that I am different, and that it is okay. If anything, being here has made me more in tune with my culture, as it brings me a sense of comfort, a sense of home.

ES- You are definitely an extremely hard worker, you decided to pursue a double major in Sociology and Gender, as well as Women and Sexuality Studies, what made you pursue these two majors?

DR- I have always been passionate about civil rights and equality, but I never had the vocabulary or resources to back up my thoughts and make things happen. In majoring in Sociology and GWSS I feel as if I now have a more stable and powerful platform and confidence that enables me to work to create change.

ES- Have you thought of graduate school? How does being a young and entering this field make you feel?

DR- After Grinnell, I hope to go to Law School. Other than the fact that there will probably not be a lot of people who look like me, I am not sure what to expect or how to feel. To be honest, I am terrified. With that said, I know that I need to do this work and represent and protect people whose upbringings are similar to mine and simply want a fighting chance.

ES- What organizations have your volunteered and worked for? How have they impacted you as a person?

DR- In Order: National Runaway Safeline, Lambda Legal, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and Crisis Intervention Services (this is the most recent/my current job). Each of these positions has taught me how to be a strong advocate for my community, as well as how the law works and how to use it in efforts to help create equality. Every single time I was always the only Latina in my internships expect for last summer, there was another Latina intern. Although, that being the case I was still the only intern without any money. I could not afford certain things like everyone else. Personally, if was both exciting and scary because there was no one like me. For the the experiences themselves I believe I've been so spoiled with my internship experiences that I'm afraid to get a real job at times because I feel it will not be as exciting as my internships.

ES- What does being independent young women mean to you?

DR- It means that I am happy, stable, and constantly learning. Independence, in my opinion, is a lot harder to obtain than we think. To gain total and complete freedom, while maintaining financial stability is really my goal in life.

ES- Who are your powerful Latina influencers and what kind of role model do you want to be for other girls?

DR- You, my family members, my friends, Sotomayor, Denise Bidot. A lot of my closet friends we all grew up in families where are parents could not do what they truly wanted to do and we have the opportunity to change that. Its nice to see my friends doing what we want to do.

ES- What is a quote you live by?

“Speaking without thinking is like shooting without aiming.”