MUM student Daniela Hillman Robles
With MUM Student Government
Holding an event for National Coming Out Day during her time as president of the Queer Coalition club as an initiative to promote awareness and integration of the LGBTQIA+ community
Daniela Hillman Robles grew up in Mexico and attended Maharishi School for a year as an exchange student. She enjoyed the supportive environment and fell in love with creative writing. When it was time to choose a college, she decided to return to Fairfield.
“There is something very characteristic about the Maharishi School teachers, which I thankfully also experience here at MUM—they are very passionate about what they do and they care about the students,” said Daniela.
Daniela is in her third year now and has been accepted into the BFA in Creative and Professional Writing program. She enjoys writing poetry and creative non-fiction using her family relationships and upbringing in Mexico as material.
She found that the practice of the Transcendental Meditation®technique has helped her as a writer. “TM allows me to be fully myself and to be able to express myself and create so much from it,” she said.
Daniela also enjoys working with people and being part of a team. First she joined the Queer Coalition club, where she became president. She was instrumental in the club’s initiative to create gender inclusive housing on campus by conducting student surveys and communicating LGBTQ students’ needs to the university’s administration.
Next she joined Student Government, where she serves as secretary. “There is no small leadership role for me,” she said. “It’s really rewarding to be part of the cohesiveness and seeing that everyone brings their full potential.”
In her free time, Daniela also volunteers with a Chicago nonprofit organization that is engaged in community building. She is responsible for writing their newsletter, managing their social media pages, and promoting events. After graduating from MUM, Daniela wants to pursue a graduate degree in creative writing.