“I moved here from Mexico City when I was 2 years old. My parents are not legal. Luckily my younger brother and sister were born in America. They are legal, and for now, so am I. I am a Dreamer. My parents brought me here for a better life. They brought me here so I can rise to my full potential, along with my brother and sister. My dad has worked many jobs since coming to the US. From construction, to warehouse worker, to restaurant manager. My mother sells stuff she makes at local flea markets, mostly things she learned from her mom, and her mom before that. They both work long hours so they can afford the two-bedroom town house we live in. My siblings and I share a room, and my parents sleep in the other. It may be small, but we live on the good side of town. My siblings are attending the better elementary school in our town, and I got to attend the higher class high school. Because of where we lived I was able to graduate high school with honors, and go into college with 9 credit hours.
I am working to put myself through school. Within our 5-person family, we have one car. Only my dad and I have a driver’s license. My mom is too afraid to drive, for fear she’ll get pulled over and arrested for being Hispanic.
I attend a community college, not by my own choice. I applied for Anderson University, but because I am DACA, every college and university will charge me out of state tuition. Also, DACA students don’t get federal financial help. I was going college to become a nurse. Sadly, I found out that South Carolina has a list of professions that DACA people cannot study in. I then considered going into the United States Army to serve my country. Sadly again, I found out DACA people can’t serve the country. Since I could not be a nurse nor a soldier, I decided I want to go into law and study immigration laws. I want to help people like my parents take the steps to become legal citizens, and hopefully push paperwork through faster so it takes less than the standard 11 years to gain citizenship. But now, I don’t know if I will be able to accomplish my goals.
Because of our current President, I may be revoked my rights and sent back to Mexico with my parents. My parents would have to decide whether to leave my brother and sister in the states with relatives so they could continue their education, or take them back to Mexico to be with us.
I haven’t told many people that I am a dreamer. Because I live in a very conservative state, I fear that if someone finds out they will report my family, and we will be deported. One of my good friends and her mother knows. They helped me figure out what steps I needed to take to go to college and to get certain funding for independent scholarships. They support Dreamers.
If you take away my origins, I am just like any other American teenager. I went to school and tried my best. I ran cross county in high school. I got a minimum wage job at a restaurant so I can start my road to independents. I took care of my siblings, got in trouble sometimes, and made and lost many friends. I am like the 90% of college students who have changed their major.
I am not a dirty Mexican trying to steal your job. I am not here to mooch off of tax payers. I am not here to take away anything from anybody. I was brought here when I was 2 years old before I knew anything about the world. I am now 19, and trying to pursue the American Dream to help better the country. Why send me back?”
-A life story of a 19 year old student who wants to come to Clemson University. She wished to remain anonymous-