Alumna Cintron Spreads Diversity and Inclusion Message
Piedmont University alumna Daniela Cintron ’09 is spreading the word about diversity and inclusion. She is doing it in English and Spanish as marketing director for an Atlanta-based law firm and as a freelance writer.
The partners at Diaz & Gaeta Law are the sons of immigrants. The bilingual law firm provides legal help for underserved and underrepresented minorities.
“A big part of my job as the marketing director is to find ways to not just sell to minorities but to empower them with information,” Cintron said. “That’s really key to what we do.”
One of the positions she held before her move to Boston was social media strategist and journalist for Athens-based Community Newspapers Inc. She helped The Northeast Georgian newspaper print and distribute its first-ever Spanish edition in 2020.
Cintron pitched a story titled “Latinos — Interrupting the Narrative in Film” to Oz Magazine, a publication focused on the film, television, print, and new media industries in Georgia. Her story landed on the cover of the January/February 2022 edition and highlights the work of three Latina actors who created an organization called Latinas in Media Atlanta (LIMA).
“Latinas are a minority of minorities in the industry, and they are finally demanding more than just a seat at the table,” Cintron said. “Now they’re speaking up and fighting for their place in the industry.”
Featuring Latinas on the cover was a first for Oz Magazine, which was launched in the 1990s. Cintron said the actors were emotional when they learned that she would be writing about the impact Latinas have on the industry.
“They cried. They said it would open up a conversation around how we need to stop casting Latinas as maids or in small or non-speaking roles,” she said. “Latinas have what it takes to take on bigger roles and shouldn’t be put in a box or stereotyped.”
The Oz Magazine story was written in English. Cintron has also written stories in Spanish for the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau’s Discover Atlanta.
“You get to share with both demographics. To make that crossover when we talk about inclusion, that’s exactly what was going on. That’s exactly what we are doing,” she said. “I’m super excited about that.”
Cintron was one of very few Latinas from her high school who went to and graduated from college. She said Piedmont accepted her for who she is. She often thinks of the moment that she walked into Dr. Dale Van Cantfort’s office and told the mass communications professor that she needed to get rid of her accent.
He said no.
“He said, ‘Daniela, that is the beauty of you. That is who you are,’” Cintron said. “For him to say that completely changed my life.”
Piedmont, she said, helped her accept and grow into herself.
“It helped me enhance the diverse person that I am. That was huge for me.”