Daniela Rascon-Rivas

God above all.

[Rachel Walden @waldenpatriot]

I don't need to report my schedule, and for my own family's privacy and safety, I mostly avoid posting about my family. Today we had my daughter's birthday party that has been planned for a while and I spent tonight packing to leave for a conference, that fortunately worked out for my daughter to come with me. I'm going to get more personal than I normally do. I never planned to be in politics or do anything to EVER make my life public. However, I had a profound personal experience that led me to run for school board, then later for the Commission. I knew I wanted to do everything I could to save the rising generation. It's hard to describe the personal and financial sacrifice that people make to run for office. Example, I hate missing bedtime stories with my daughter because I'm at a school board meeting or because I was on the campaign trail. But this whole time my mission has been driven by the Holy Spirit within me confirming that God was with me and gave me the trials that he did to make me the mother that I am today. I don't answer to PACs or organizations or lobbyists or campaigns. I answer to God, to my country, and to my family. I can look my family in the eyes and say I did the right thing today. I am the best person and the strongest person to complete the tasks that are before me. I have zero problem walking away and will walk away before I ever lose my integrity or forsake my oaths. But I can't do everything. To fulfill my offices and my family duties, as I am 100% confident that the public would have me do, I have many demands of my time and I cannot let my responsibilities suffer. These are my priorities. If you want to know what I'm doing or how I am serving, there's lots of public contact info for me.

[Daniela Rascon-Rivas @d4nieIar]

We made history at Mesa High School

[Daniela Rascon-Rivas @d4nieIar]

First graduation! Thank you @EVITnews for the awesome education provided! Next stop is at Mesa High tomorrow at 7 PM!

[Rachel Walden @waldenpatriot]

@NancyCottle1 @d4nieIar @EdSteele4AZ @benson4mpsboard @ChrisHamletAZ @PamKirby I agree! We need graduation pics!

[Daniela Rascon-Rivas @d4nieIar]

@NancyCottle1 @waldenpatriot @EdSteele4AZ @benson4mpsboard @ChrisHamletAZ @PamKirby Thank you ma’am. To God be all the glory!!

[Daniela Rascon-Rivas @d4nieIar]

We have won!!!!

Thank you. @waldenpatriot @EdSteele4AZ @benson4mpsboard @ChrisHamletAZ @NancyCottle1 @PamKirby and to everyone else who has support me with this petition.

May the Lord bless you tenfold. God bless you all.

[Nancy Cottle @NancyCottle1]

@d4nieIar @waldenpatriot @EdSteele4AZ @benson4mpsboard @ChrisHamletAZ @PamKirby Young lady you had an Army behind you! We admire your courage to speak up for the right to proudly wear your military stole. You have set the mark for the Class of 2025 and those that follow. Be brave, stay safe and may you always walk with God.

[Daniela Rascon-Rivas @d4nieIar]

@PamKirby @waldenpatriot Big thanks to everyone. I am beyond grateful and super excited for today and tomorrow’s graduations!

[🇺🇸 🌵Pam Kirby 🌵 🇺🇸 @PamKirby]

. @waldenpatriot’s courage as a school board member, alongside @d4nieIar’s bravery in standing up for her right to honor her military service, has paved the way for meaningful change. Huge thanks to our community for rallying behind the cause. Your support made all the difference! A special nod to Supt Dr. Strom for his decision to allow military stoles at graduations. With leadership like this, the future of Mesa Public Schools (and our country) looks brighter than ever! 🙏🎓 🇺🇸

[The Coalition @TheAZCoalition]

Rachel’s advocacy for students shines again! Thanks to her leadership, Mesa Public Schools now honors military-bound graduating seniors with stoles at graduation. This is one of many reasons why she’s our 2025 School Board Member of the Year! 🇺🇸🎓 https://t.co/7txk1409yY

[Rachel Walden @waldenpatriot]

@Denny_Earl @mpsaz We had so many people from across the state come out and support @d4nieIar, including some congressional delegates, and that helped so much!

[Rachel Walden @waldenpatriot]

Thank you to our incoming Superintendent Dr. Matt Strom @mpsaz who was so willing to communicate with me on this issue and listen to all the voices coming out in support of our students who enlist in military! He has issued a district wide memo that beginning with the Class of 2025, graduating seniors who have formally enlisted in a branch of the United States Armed Forces will be permitted to wear official military-issued stoles during their ceremony. This is what leadership looks like!

[Daniela Rascon-Rivas @d4nieIar]

MPS HAS NOW ALLOWED MILITARY STOLES AT GRADUATIONS
MPS has announced that beginning with the Class of 2025, graduating seniors who have formally enlisted in a branch of the United States Armed Forces will be permitted to wear official military-issued stoles during their ceremony.

[Daniela Rascon-Rivas @d4nieIar]

@azwomenofaction @ChrisHamletAZ @mpsaz Thank you!!

[Rep Andy Biggs @RepAndyBiggsAZ]

We should be honoring—not punishing—our students who bravely choose to serve our nation after graduation.

My office worked to help reverse this policy at another MPS high school last year, so it's beyond disappointing to see these bad decisions persist at the expense of our military families.

[Chris Hamlet @ChrisHamletAZ]

ATTENTION MESA RESIDENTS, VETERANS, AND PARENTS!

URGENT CALL TO ACTION!

This is TIME SENSITIVE as graduation is TOMORROW, 5/22/25.

@mpsaz is telling this young sister-in-arms, @d4nieIar, that she can not wear her military stole, or any cords of honor/achievement from EVIT, at her graduation ceremony tomorrow.

Anyone at @mpsaz that agrees with this should be ashamed of themselves. How dare you desecrate such an honorable act as signing up for military service! These young people that sign up for service, sign a contract to which they agree to defend this country against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and understand that doing so could ultimately cost them their lives. They are literally putting their lives on the line by entering into service, and this is how you acknowledge them?

The irony here is that the “Portrait of a Mesa Public Schools GRADUATE,” has “ensure equity” as 1 of its strategic goals. How equitable is it to have a policy that allows Native Americans, specifically, to wear tribal regalia, objects of cultural significance, like an Eagle feather, but not allow others to wear their military stoles or honor/achievement cords? This PROVES that @mpsaz does not even believe in their own goals for GRADUATING students, yet, they issue a statement saying “Mesa High upholds a longstanding tradition of unity at graduation, in alignment with district policy 5-217.D and state law ARS 15-348, that promotes uniformity during the ceremony by limiting adornments on graduation attire”

LIARS!! If you did uphold a tradition of unity, you would strip all Native Americans of their ability to wear tribal regalia and cultural objects of significance, OR, allow ALL military stoles and honor/achievement cords to be worn by ALL students!! Those are the only 2 options to ENSURE EQUITY, otherwise, you are proven to be nothing but frauds and liars!

CALL TO ACTION:
Watch this 2-minute video for a brief understanding of the issue:

A big thanks to @waldenpatriot for standing up in the public square for this young lady!!

https://t.co/s0W8lDKKNS

Email the Mesa Public Schools Governing Board, Superintendent, and the Mesa High School principal, and demand that they allow ALL military stoles and honor/achievement cords to be worn in tomorrow's ceremony:
Principal of Mesa High-Kirk [email protected]

Superintendent of Mesa Public Schools-Andi [email protected]

Mesa Public Schools Governing Board members:

Rachel [email protected]
Marcie [email protected]
Courtney [email protected]
Lacy [email protected]
Sharon [email protected]

SIGN THIS PETITION:
https://t.co/RhSb8w1HHb

[Matt Greer @MattRealest8]

We need to get all the vets to come support this girl at graduation

[Daniela Rascon-Rivas @d4nieIar]

@cameron_arcand 🙌🏼🙌🏼

[Cameron Arcand @cameron_arcand]

Putting my local news hat back on for a second— I’ve reached out to the school district and the Mesa High School principal for comment on this.

[B Coffman @bacelc97]

We need a military presence at this graduation to support @d4nieIar and her fellow classmates. The graduation is on Thursday, May 22nd.