erika020 87 Posted November 1, 2012 Hello everyone my name is Erika I'm from the city of Mexico and i'm currently living in California. Like many of you I share the same story. When I was about 5 -6 years old my dad decided to come to the U.S to be able to make more money to give us (me and my sisters) a better future. His plans were to come to the U.S and stay here for a couple of years , save some money and then go back to Mexico, but that didn't happen. When I was 9-10 years old my mom also decided to come to the U.S with my dad. Things (economically) were getting a little tough for us in Mexico. So my parents decided that it would be better for all of us to go to the U.S. My mom was first. She came to California to meet with my dad while me and my two sisters stayed with my grandma in Zacatecas. We stayed with my grandma for a year and then my parents send for us.To be honest i had no idea of how things were gonna be over here in the U.S, I thought things were gonna be better for us over here, which in a way they are. I started 6th grade over here in Cali, things were going good till I got to my junior year in high school when i tried to challenge myself even more by taking college classes while i was still in high school. Many of my friends were taking college classes and the adviser from one of the clubs I was part of in high school recommended me to also take college classes because for high school students the classes at a community college were free plus it was gonna make me more competitive and it was gonna increase my opportunities into getting into a UC (University of California; some of the best 4 year universities in California) . So not really knowing anything about my situation/status i decided to go for it and take a college class, but when i was gonna register for the class they told me I had to pay like $600 dollars for it because i didn't have an SSN or legal status. That's when it hit me, because i didn't know i was limited to do certain things just because i didn't have a nine digit number, I was here thinking i had the same opportunities as everyone else. So I didn't end up taking any college classes because of course i didn't have the money to pay for it. So i started to get more informed about my situation, but to be honest it was devastating for me to know that I was limited to do a lot of stuff, I couldn't get into programs i wanted to form part of in high school just because i didn't have a nine digit number . Sometimes my friends would ask me why, but i couldn't tell them why because i was scared that they might look at me different . I knew I was gonna have to try my hardest and I did. I did as much as i could but even when i tried my hardest i wasn't able to gather the money to pay for college. I got accepted into all the universities I applied to, but couldn't go to any of them because of the money, but i didn't stop there. I decided to go to a community college. I have to admit it, i felt a little depressed because i couldn't go to a 4 year university right out of high school just like many of my friends did, especially knowing that i tried my hardest in high school and ended up in a community college, but it turned out to be not that bad at least i'm still studying. To be honest i used to think I was the only one in this situation, but now that got more into searching more about my situation i was impressed to find out how many people are in the same situation that I am and that's really encouraging so don't give up guys we're not alone let's keep on fighting for our dreams! 2 Admin and Sinae reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
erika020 87 Posted November 1, 2012 oh wow! i did write a lot lol :b Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Raul 14 Posted November 1, 2012 A great story. I know exactly how it feels to be limited to a point when you know you can do so much more. 1 erika020 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
itzel 336 Posted November 1, 2012 Welcome Erika 1 erika020 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
roadrunner11 167 Posted November 1, 2012 Hi Erica! Thanks for sharing your story I hope everything goes well with your DACA. It is great to see all these talented and hard working people here. 1 erika020 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
erika020 87 Posted November 1, 2012 Raul : thanks . yeah it sucks, but we have to keep trying our best 1 Raul reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
erika020 87 Posted November 1, 2012 Itzel: thanks ... @roadrunner11: me too i really hope everything goes well . and yes we have to show the government that we have something to offer to this country and that we are serious about our education Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NorbyAHuezo 5 Posted November 1, 2012 what a great story,thank you!!!good luck!! 1 erika020 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
erika020 87 Posted November 1, 2012 @NorbyAHuezo : thanks good luck to you too Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Santi 353 Posted November 9, 2012 Erika, thanks for your story! Be patient and keep fighting for your dreams... Sooner, rather than later, you will be able to pursue your projects more effectively and maximize your potential! Cheers! 2 Admin and erika020 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
erika020 87 Posted November 9, 2012 Erika, thanks for your story! Be patient and keep fighting for your dreams... Sooner, rather than later, you will be able to pursue your projects more effectively and maximize your potential! Cheers! Thank you so much for the encouragement ! and i'm definitely gonna keep on fighting for my dreams Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
