Being undocumented only became a reality to me after I changed schools in 5th grade. I arrived in the country with my mom at the ripe age of 5 years old. She had found a make-shift room in a family friend's apartment (we didn't stay for more than a month). After the 7th time, I lost count of how many places we moved to these past 14 years. In the very beginning though, we lived in a low income, lowkey shady neighborhood. Everyone I went to school with had a similar story to my own so I never felt out of place (besides the bullying for being tall and wearing glasses but that just added to my character development). One thing that did set me apart from others in my class was the fact that I was smart. Like. REALLY smart. To the point in which my mom was receiving letters from the county saying that they wanted to move me to a "better" school so I could be in an environment that suited me best. It took a while for my mom to come around since changing schools meant I had to take the bus and she wouldn't be able to drop me off or pick me up, and I'd also be further from home so things could get difficult in the case of an emergency. She did come around after 2 years though. And that is when the world gave me its first taste of reality. At the new school, there were people of all shapes and colors, but I didn't meet anyone that was like me. Like me in the sense that everyone there was actually born in the country and would regularly take vacations abroad even if they were too young to appreciate one of the seven wonders more than their Nintendo DS at the time. I would get a long of confused looks whenever I mentioned living in an apartment. I distinctly remember once a boy in my class even asked "Are you too poor to buy a house?" and I genuinely didn't know how to answer, or if I answered at all. My point is, being undocumented only became a "defining" characteristic when I changed schools and started 5th grade since that is when my world got a little bit bigger and a little bit meaner. Since then, I have lost or been denied many opportunities and/or privileges due to my lack of legal documentation, but it has only served as motivation to work harder and prove that I can do whatever I put my mind into regardless of circumstance or setbacks. I am already in college. A community college, because even though I graduated with a 3.9 GPA (I fumbled towards the end which is why I lost my 4.2), and I was playing an instrument as well as being a student athlete (and state champ), I knew that a four year university was going to be too much of a financial strain on my parents' pockets. I don't regret not going, although sometimes I do get that feeling of missing out but I do my best to be grateful for all that I have been given and achieved thus far. I am currently working on getting my EMT license so I can continue on to a Paramedic program. And with the scholarship it would be a lot easier to focus on my studies instead of worrying about money. I don't want the fact that I'm undocumented to define me, and so I will not let it.

My definition of the American dream is being able to live a life that is not defined by where you were born or where you are from, but instead empowered by the fact that regardless of circumstance you were able to define your own path and embrace who you are as an individual. Like many immigrants, my family came to the United States with the dream of starting a new life and granting me opportunities that one could only dream of back in our home country. Around the world, people are often undermined due to their social status or heritage, even though I have experienced racism on various levels, in America I can at least be given the privilege of trying to prove others wrong, and often doing so. My parents came to this nation without the support of their family, yet they decided it was their goal to support me with any dream I wanted to achieve. I can say with pride that thanks to the many sacrifices my parents have made, I have been able to achieve so much more than I thought myself capable of. With every accomplishment- like an academic award or first place sports medal, I kept on pushing my limits and doing things I didn't even think were within reach of my plane of existence. Even though I have achieved a lot in the past 14 years of my life in this country, I have also been denied a lot of opportunities due to the fact that I was not born within its' borders, I try to not get upset over such things now, as with every closed there I have found many more open windows. It was not an easy thing to understand as a child who wanted to keep learning about the world but was often rejected due to her legal status. If anything, I am grateful now that I was denied those opportunities because I was forced to find alternative paths to keep making progress in my studies and life in general. I think the American dream is something a person achieves not by doing what others tell them to do, but by observing how people thrive, learning from other people's mistakes (in order to not do the same), and making their own mistakes while carving out one's own path towards the next big goal. All that while also celebrating the smaller achievements along the way. It is not an easy journey, especially since there are so many clashing beliefs between where you come from and where you are now, but it is only a matter of deciding for yourself what you want, who you want to accompany you along the way, and being grateful for all that has been provided. That is what the American dream means to me.