Personal Narrative: I Am An Unocumented Student
I am an undocumented student. Sometimes I’m called a Dreamer. Other times an illegal immigrant. But right now I’m a DACA recipient. Within a few months, I may just go back to being one of the hundreds of thousands of students that are unable obtain a driver’s license, apply for certain colleges, and find work. And on my 18th birthday, I’ll be the only one among my friends unable to vote.
My family arrived from South Korea when I was just a toddler. I still don’t know the exact reason for immigrating on such short notice, and even when I ask my parents the question is just dodged. Because there is so much stigma around not having a legal status, my family never spoke of it so I never knew that I was undocumented. The first time I started
to understand my predicament was the summer before I was to enter middle school. As a child I used to ask often to go visit my grandmother again, but I was always told we would have to wait until we finally got a green card. I didn’t completely comprehend what that was at the time. The summer of that year I attended a cram school; during a break between our classes, I lamentably announced that I wouldn’t be able to see my grandmother with a “green card”. Immediately, an older student told me to keep that a secret. I still didn’t completely comprehend why I had to do so, but I later learned that it was something to be ashamed of. As I got older, I finally came around to investigate and research my situation. The results of my investigation answered my question as to why I couldn’t travel, but it also served as a sudden and traumatic awakening to reality. However, not all hope was lost.
Fortunately, President Obama and his administration presented an executive order, known as DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, to undocumented immigrant that would defer deportation for two years and grant a work permit as long as they fulfilled certain requirements. I was only able to apply a few years afterwards because I need to reach the minimum age requirement. Once I did, I was finally able to obtain a learner’s permit, apply to colleges, and work a part time job.
During these past few months, I was once again able to feel like one of my peers. I lived my life accepting that I would have to face a few more obstacles than the people around me, but it was okay since I was still able receive post-secondary education , find a job, and better my situation. I didn’t think too much about it so I took the classes I liked and challenged myself with classes that would be useful in college. I even took some of the interesting classes my school offered that piqued my interest in healthcare.
Alas, late 2017, President Trump and his administration rescinded the executive order that paved way for DACA. The future is still murky, as nobody knows what will happen within 6 months. But if DACA were to end without an alternative set in place, I’ll be forced back into the shadows
I don’t know what the future hold for me, but I don’t plan to just give it all up. I can’t wait for everything to be finalized. I still want to pursue a college education that my parents weren’t able to obtain. I still want to be able to help people, and if I can’t do that through work, I can still volunteer. I’m not alone in this. There are other people in the same situation as I am. As well as organization that want to help me through this. I even have a wonderful counselor that’s want to work with me and my parents. Stopping now will only hurt me.
My family arrived from South Korea when I was just a toddler. I still don’t know the exact reason for immigrating on such short notice, and even when I ask my parents the question is just dodged. Because there is so much stigma around not having a legal status, my family never spoke of it so I never knew that I was undocumented. The first time I started
to understand my predicament was the summer before I was to enter middle school. As a child I used to ask often to go visit my grandmother again, but I was always told we would have to wait until we finally got a green card. I didn’t completely comprehend what that was at the time. The summer of that year I attended a cram school; during a break between our classes, I lamentably announced that I wouldn’t be able to see my grandmother with a “green card”. Immediately, an older student told me to keep that a secret. I still didn’t completely comprehend why I had to do so, but I later learned that it was something to be ashamed of. As I got older, I finally came around to investigate and research my situation. The results of my investigation answered my question as to why I couldn’t travel, but it also served as a sudden and traumatic awakening to reality. However, not all hope was lost.
Fortunately, President Obama and his administration presented an executive order, known as DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, to undocumented immigrant that would defer deportation for two years and grant a work permit as long as they fulfilled certain requirements. I was only able to apply a few years afterwards because I need to reach the minimum age requirement. Once I did, I was finally able to obtain a learner’s permit, apply to colleges, and work a part time job.
During these past few months, I was once again able to feel like one of my peers. I lived my life accepting that I would have to face a few more obstacles than the people around me, but it was okay since I was still able receive post-secondary education , find a job, and better my situation. I didn’t think too much about it so I took the classes I liked and challenged myself with classes that would be useful in college. I even took some of the interesting classes my school offered that piqued my interest in healthcare.
Alas, late 2017, President Trump and his administration rescinded the executive order that paved way for DACA. The future is still murky, as nobody knows what will happen within 6 months. But if DACA were to end without an alternative set in place, I’ll be forced back into the shadows
I don’t know what the future hold for me, but I don’t plan to just give it all up. I can’t wait for everything to be finalized. I still want to pursue a college education that my parents weren’t able to obtain. I still want to be able to help people, and if I can’t do that through work, I can still volunteer. I’m not alone in this. There are other people in the same situation as I am. As well as organization that want to help me through this. I even have a wonderful counselor that’s want to work with me and my parents. Stopping now will only hurt me.