She thought she spend her adult life healing wounds as a doctor, but instead Diana Tellefson now works at healing a different kind of wound – the one left by failed immigration reform.
“I knew you could be a doctor, lawyer, or engineer, so I was going to be a doctor,” said Tellefson.
Growing up 15 minutes away from the US/Mexico border might have gave her an indication that immigration would be in her future life.
Identity was already.
“I was told to be proud of my heritage, my father told me I must speak Spanish at home.”
Born to an immigrant mother and an American father of Norwegian descent (that explains Tellefson), she was reminded again and again to celebrate her heritrage and her language.
It paid off.
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She was accepted to Stanford and while there volunteered at free clinics in East Palo Alto translating Spanish for doctors.
It was then she saw the “struggle” immigrant families had and wanted to do more than medicine.
“I saw the organizer in me somewhere, communities like these need to have a voice,” said Tellefson.
During her senior year, Tellefson was accepted as on a leadership fellow where she toured the central valley and observed farmer worker’s conditions for a week.
She saw workers, their environment, and met with farmers. She knew immediately she wanted to help.
“Working with these immigrants to better their lives has much more passion then being a doctor,” said Tellefson.
After a short stint as a teacher, Tellefson joined the United Farm Workers and today is the executive director – one of two women on the foundation’s board.
Tellefson also serves as UFW’s national vice president and help organize it’s more than 500,000 farm workers nationwide.
She is also working on immigration reform, and feels Hispanic Heritage month is much more meaningful this year.
“It helps people understand this country is better with its diversity. This is an opportunity to demonstrate all the wonderful things Latinos and Mexican Americans contribute to this country.”
