Sara's DREAM Act Story

My name is Sara. I was born in Nayarit, Mexico. My parents brought me to the U.S when I was only 3 months old. I have been ever since; growing up in this country is what makes me who I am. I am now 16 years old and a junior in high school. Every day I go to school, all I hear is what college everybody is going to and where I plan to go. My mom and dad decided to move to the U.S because they wanted a better future for themselves and their children. The main reason that we still live here is simply because it has become our country. It is filled with opportunities and freedom and we have lived here for as long as we can recall and have earned the honor of saying that. We’ve come to love and honor this country.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always felt like an American. I do things Americans do, I talk the way Americans do, I say the Pledge of Allegiance everyday as every other American student does, and I have dreams like every American. Being American doesn’t just consist of you being here legally, but also all the great things you have done for this country. It means more than just a paper with lettering on it. It means having love, respect, and honor for your country. 

As somebody who has worked so hard in school for every A+ and B+, I most certainly think that I deserve to feel as if it is worth something at the end. Staying up late and studying for my Biology AP test the next morning or for any other advanced and honors class, is well worth being considered an American. I, as a Hispanic student, put as much effort and desire in school as much as my fellow American friends.

I don’t think that a love for one’s country should be based on a piece of paper. I only dream of going to college after I graduate and fulfill my goals in life that I have set for myself. Not having the right papers to attend college after graduation is a major hole in my high school career. I want to feel like all my work in high school is going to pay off. The life I promised my mom I would have before she passed away, is what I want to fulfill; not only in her honor and name but also as a compensation for what I have achieved. The DREAM Act is exactly what students in my place need to succeed.  I’ve always had the desire of going to college and receiving a higher education. For some it’s easy to apply for college, but for me it’s more than that. Not being able to attend college, is not just feeling misplaced but also incompetent to not being fulfill a life-long dream.

I want to be able to make it through life with high expectations. I want to able to say that I’ve became a doctor or a lawyer on my 25^th high school reunion. I want to have that sense of pride and achievement for making it through life with much more than just a high school diploma. The DREAM Act is the opportunity that thousands of immigrant students are waiting for.

My immigration status has definitely been brought up in my school and has caused much disruption. Throughout the years, I have been invited to summer programs to many different schools across that nation and not having the right immigration status has limited those chances. Many of my friends have been able to go and tell me about their experiences and I only wish that it were me telling those stories. My life throughout school has not been the easiest only because I get questioned as to whether I am illegal or not and if I am Mexican or not. I only have one more year to graduate high school and I haven’t the slightest idea as to if I’m going to be able to attend college or not. It makes me feel as if I am much less than a person who has the right papers, even though we take the same advanced placement classes.

I would love to let every fellow immigrant student that with faith and God all is possible. That we should never give up on our dreams and to keep on with our life-long goals. I believe that we have earned our right to become Americans on paper and that even with our situation we should not let go. By supporting the DREAM Act, not only do we have equal rights as others Americans but we can also become what we’ve always wanted to. Along with the great Martin Luther King Jr., I ALSO HAVE A DREAM

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