Championing Education, Conservation, and Outdoor Access in Arizona

By Mariana Sandoval, Arizona State Representative and HECHO’s Hispanic Conservation Leadership Council member.

Although my first years in the Grand Canyon State were challenging due to the hot summers, being away from family, and facing a recession, over time, I acclimated, visited family often, and came to love our beautiful Sonoran Desert. Arizona has become my home, and it has been a blessing to raise my family here. My children have grown up enjoying the great outdoors—something I didn’t have the opportunity to experience as a child.

My siblings and I were raised by a single parent in Southern California. While my mother did her best to provide for us, she couldn’t take us camping or hiking to the mountains. My love for the outdoors and nature, especially the desert, was born here in Arizona.

While I love this state, there is still so much work to be done in various areas.

As a proud Mexican American, I recognize the challenges that women of color often face and we must become advocates for our families, our communities, and for ourselves.

My public service and advocacy for our environment began with concern about our public schools. Arizona consistently ranks low or last in education nationwide. When my children were in school, I ran for the school board to work on addressing these low rankings and served for four years. During that time, I learned about the ongoing funding issues and cuts made to public schools during the 2007 recession that have yet to be restored.

In the face of these challenges and knowing that these issues were not being addressed at the state level and frustrated that my state representatives were not listening to my community, or me, I decided to run for the state legislature in 2022.

Education is the great equalizer and is a priority for me because it can help lift someone out of poverty. More than 90 percent of students in Arizona attend K-12 public schools, the rest are enrolled in private or charter schools, yet most of the funding goes to private education via vouchers. This situation is unacceptable, as it leaves most of our public schools and many students without the necessary resources.

As I have grown in this role, I’ve seen how issues like education, our economy and our environment interconnect. Water conservation and scarcity are other critical issues Arizona faces have become a top priority for me. Water is sacred to us in the desert, and the Southwest has been experiencing decades of severe drought due to climate change. While opinions about water conservation and the climate crisis may vary, these challenges affect everyone, regardless of political beliefs or ideologies. We must take urgent action now.

Unfortunately, environmental issues such as water quality, air pollution, and access to public lands and outdoor spaces disproportionately impact communities of color, including the many Latinos that currently reside in Arizona. That’s why we need to get involved and ensure our voices are heard. Get involved and enjoy the outdoors!