Juan Diego Mazuera Arias is the senior government affairs assistant at The Century Foundation, a new position. He joins TCF after finishing a fellowship with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, working first at the Aspen Institute’s Latinos and Society Program and then as a legislative fellow in the office of U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez.
Juan Diego was born in Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia, and was raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. A son of immigrants who have sacrificed and devoted their lives to allow their children to obtain the American Dream, Juan Diego comes from strong Latino roots and family values. While applying for college, he experienced the struggles associated with being an undocumented DACA recipient. After not qualifying for financial aid and paying an international rate for college applications, he decided to attend Central Piedmont Community College. In his first year, he received the Golden Door Scholarship and a full-ride scholarship at Queens University of Charlotte, where he became the first in his family to graduate from college. Juan Diego was active in campus politics and worked on several political campaigns, as a field organizer and campus organizer.