Diana Betancourt Macias, ’17, ’20, receives 2025 Spark Award for equitable leadership, community organizing and advocacy
Betancourt Macias will be honored at OMA&D's Celebration Gala on May 21.
In May, Diana Betancourt Macias, ’17, ’20, will receive the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity’s 2025 Spark Award for her efforts to create equitable opportunities and support for marginalized communities. She is a community organizer and advocate for undocumented students.
Diana Betancourt Macias is the UW’s second Spark Awardee. The recognition was created by the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity for individuals whose leadership toward equity, diversity and opportunity spans their time as students and into their early-careers.
Betancourt Macias is “a dynamic leader whose passion for DEI is evident in all her work,” says Cristal Rangel Peña, the graduate program adviser at UW Bothell who nominated her. “Her contributions have touched lives on [the UW] campus, in her community, and beyond.”
Born in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, Betancourt Macias was raised in Vancouver, Washington. As a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipient, she faced barriers in applying for and attending college but remained steadfast in her pursuit of higher education. The experience deepened her commitment to social justice. As an undocumented student at the University of Washington, she became a leader in advocacy and community organizing. Joining various student organizations, including the Latino Student Union and MEChA de UW, she helped organize MEChA’s National Conference in 2017, which drew more than 1,000 students from across the country to discuss social justice and cultural heritage.
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a minor in diversity, Betancourt Macias pursued a master’s in education at UW Tacoma. She also became the first program manager at UW Bothell to focus on undocumented students.
In her current role as the program director for the Southwest Washington Equity Coalition, Betancourt Macias continues to advocate for racial justice and equity. She oversees a fellowship program that trains BIPOC leaders to serve on boards and commissions, ensuring diverse voices are represented in decision-making. She serves as a director for La Cima Bilingual Leadership Camp which she attended as a delegate back in 2010, an experience that has been pivotal in shaping her advocacy. Betancourt Macias is also a fellow of the Institute for a Democratic Future (WAIDF), furthering her civic leadership and advocacy practice in Washington State.
Beyond her professional roles, Betancourt Macias co-founded a grassroots organization that provides scholarships and support for undocumented students and mixed-status families called the Betancourt Foundation. Through her consulting firm, Betancourt Torres and Associates, Betancourt Macias has developed programs like the Youth Climate Leadership Program and Civic Minds, which empower young people to engage in civic action and environmental stewardship.
Betancourt Macias will be presented with the OMA&D Spark Award at OMA&D’s Celebration Gala on May 21.