Entering higher education as an undocumented first generation immigrant has been a journey filled with much uncertainty. I am an outsider in the system, and because of this I have faced significant barriers that have shaped my educational experiences and influenced my goals. The challenges I have faced has been daunting, but have also taught me to be determined, and to value every opportunity I have, even when they don't seem to exist. My experience as a first generation immigrant has been eventful. My parents brought me to the US as an infant, leaving behind everything they knew for a better future for me. The importance of education was never a concept for us, but I quickly learned to understand how it was my only way to success. Being undocumented meant my path to higher education was never going to be easy. I could not apply for federal financial aid, have student loans, or legally work to support myself. these barriers created a sense of isolation and made me question if I was even fit to attempt to go to college. despite these challenges, I continued forward because that was the only direction for me. I applied to as many private scholarships as I can, and have worked under the table in construction, farming, and as a waiter to be able to afford being a college student. Although many would call me a hardworking person, this was norm for me, as I constantly see people in my community being twice as hardworking as I am. Being in white institutions, I was constantly filling my mind with doubt and exhaustion. balancing work, responsibilities and school made it difficult for me to focus on my academics, yet I only had one direction. I became the first in my family to graduate from college, earning a degree in Economics and Business. My immigrant experience has shaped my goals for the future, as I aim to use my education to help my community in any way. To start, I want to use my education to help minority families who are in financial hardships. Majoring in economics and business has given the tools to understand systemic barriers and work on solutions that can promote equity in regards to the working class. I am currently pursuing my MBA to further develop the skills needed to create resources that can help families reach their financial independence. This will be the second institution that makes me the only hispanic in my program, and although it is hard being the only one, I know that there is a future that I helped create that enables minority families to send their kids to college.

Education is important because it creates the advantage to a better life, in which for many people is not always available. For people like me, advancing in education is always a risk, and less of an opportunity because I have many people in my life who depend on me doing well. There were many times where I felt that college wasn't important, or needed, or useful, and it wasn't until I graduated that I fully felt that I chose the best route for myself in pursuing a degree. From being the first in my family to graduate, I have seen my younger cousins and family members have a shift in their mindset to also wanting to pursue a college degree. That feeling is better than all, seeing other people want to change their life because I did. Currently I am pursuing a graduate degree from the University of Oregon in accounting and finance. I have first hand seen how many people in my community are affected every year with their finances, with their taxes, because of how little information they know. I know that if I could be be someone important to help people in my community, in my race, that otherwise won't be able to help themselves than I know that ill be able to pay it forward. Eventually other people will start to go to college, and help their community, and that is my goal. education has brought value to me because it has gave hope to my parents, to my siblings, and to my community of immigrants that I reside by. People like me are always last, never wanted, and in our own shell just wishing to work and get through life. I knew that I had something to prove and education, a college degree, graduated early, proved that I could. A masters degree will go a long ways for me, but I know I won't stop there. A PHD program is what awaits for me, and after that I hope to become a professor to show my community that education is where we reside. I learned to use my hardworking skills in labor and use them as an advantage in education, and that has paid off more than anything else. Education, whether its highschool, college, or a masters degree, continues to excel in helping people gain an advantage in their life that would otherwise be difficult without. As a first generation high school graduate, college graduate, and currently first in my family to attend a masters program, education elevates your knowledge and your comfort in the world.

My name is Emiliano Ruelas Sosa, and I am undocumented. I recently graduated from Willamette University with a bachelors in Economics and business, and am currently working to pay for my tuition at the University of Oregon, where i’ll be in their MBA program. I am a first generation highschool graduate and college graduate, but my true hardship has always been being undocumented. Highschool became difficult for me when I was wanting to apply to college, and realized I didnt have a social security, which almost every important document required. This led me to stumble down a path of depression, and my stress grew so large that I began to have visions of giving up. All I could think about is how poor I am, I cant legally work, and now my bridge to a better future was closed. Through faith, and self determination I worked around legal systems and went to college. In college I had to work numerous jobs to pay for my tuition, oftentimes working two jobs while having a full schedule. Through my determination, I strived to be more engaged in my community, and joined numerous clubs and organizations to gain volunteering hours. Being undocumented has also given me the challenge of not having a driver’s license, in which I have had to either rely on city transportation to get to where I need to or simply just walk. This was also one of the main reasons why I chose to go to a university that was close to my home, for that transportation would not be as big of a problem as it was in high school. From being undocumented, I have learned that hard work and having faith are the necessities I need to accomplish my goals. My family is the reason I can go through all my hardships, because they are in the same problem as me and although sometimes I dont see them all day because we are all working, and we are tired by the time we get home, we still share the same happy thoughts knowing that all of our efforts will be worth it one day. From the obstacles we have overcome as a family and myself individually, I plan to use my education to give back to my family, and my community. I want to go into the financial field of business, managing businesses and expanding my knowledge in finance and accounting, where I can help my community in tax preparation and tax consulting on my free time. Hispanic people are the most likely to not receive a refund every year from taxes due to them not knowing how to properly file but are high taxpayers in the US. With the proper knowledge, I can help Hispanics in my community file their taxes while giving them proper tax advice so that they can see where their taxes are contributing to, and make sure they are receiving the most they can back. Aside from helping my community, I want to help my family and myself. No one in my entire family has ever graduated with a master's degree, and I plan to use that accordingly. Although I don't want to chase the money, out of fear that it will drain me from time spent with my family and friends, I do want to acquire the knowledge I can to land me in a position of a high-paying job. With a high-paying job, I can achieve my dream of owning a house, helping my parents with their mortgage, and getting my family out of poverty like they deserve to.