Attending university is more than studying what I love; it’s a step closer to achieving my dreams and contributing to the understanding of human language. As an undocumented immigrant and first-generation college student, the road to higher education in itself has been a challenge: I’ve had to acquire a new language, acclimate to a new environment, and do well academically, all in a low-income household. Still, I made it, and I’m making the most out of every day of my schooling. My lifelong interests in language and literature have led me to pursue linguistics, the scientific study of language. Growing up in a diverse city, I was surrounded by different cultures, which sparked my love for foreign languages and other countries. Ever since I started self-studying languages in 2020, I have learned fluent French and Italian and intermediate Mandarin. I’ve learned to appreciate their diverse sounds and structures, which made me decide to major in linguistics. These independent studies and hard work set the foundation for my college education in linguistics, where I now have the opportunity to strengthen my understanding under the guidance of my professors. I dream of conducting my own research on indigenous and minority languages to better understand the nature of human language. Through speaking multiple languages, I’ve been exposed to people and points of view that have forever changed my life, and I wish to share their language and experiences with a wider audience. For example, when reading a French memoir about an Iranian immigrant who grew up in France, I saw that my experiences growing up in a foreign country were universal; I reflected on how the author and I reacted to the similar situations in our lives. So, I know that we must look to all places and people to better understand ourselves and the world. This mission is especially important because there are many languages on the verge of extinction that need to be documented and preserved. College crucially connects me to resources and people who can help me master this subject and achieve my academic goals. Thanks to the expertise of my department’s faculty, I am quickly picking up concepts that would be difficult to grasp if I tried to learn them from a textbook on my own. I am fortunate to be in the midst of the professors and researchers at the forefront of linguistics. I attend my professors’ office hours to deepen my understanding, expand on what I’m learning, and connect with fellow language lovers. Through these friendships, I was personally recommended to serve as a research assistant for a study on the semantics of Paraguayan Guaraní, an indigenous language. While I have much to learn, I already have a wealth of knowledge on the linguistics of various languages to offer. In the words of my advisor, my insights on the copula “le” in Mandarin Chinese have been useful in distinguishing the lexical category of a word in Guaraní. I look forward to collaborating with my team, gaining research experience, and preparing for an independent research project. Even though I receive some financial aid and loan funds, I still face significant financial need that my institution cannot cover. My undocumented status severely limits my access to paid internships and job opportunities, since I do not have legal work authorization. Therefore, I am currently relying on scholarships to continue attending university. Your contribution will not only ease this financial and emotional burden but also allow me to keep moving toward my goal of preserving linguistic diversity and advancing linguistic theory. I am deeply grateful for your consideration.

I came to this country with my family when I was six years old, knowing little English. We were faced with a lack of security, unemployment, and few opportunities in Mexico, and immigrating was our path to a better life. As undocumented immigrants, my parents relied on the resources at our disposal to sustain ourselves and raise my sister and me. Through their do-it-yourself home repairs and methods of finding employment without work authorization, I discovered Mexican ingenuity and resourcefulness. Similarly, they took us to our public libraries to help us learn English in a few years and foster a love for reading. Equipped with the English language, I made the most of public school, always asking questions, building relationships with teachers, and coming home with stellar grades. However, we couldn’t afford private tutoring for when I struggled academically, so I depended on free online resources to keep up. Still, I made friends with my peers, explored hobbies, and found myself in a welcoming community in and out of school. Inspired by how being bilingual made me feel comfortable and empowered in a new country, I started self-studying French in high school. In a few years, I developed an approach to organically acquire a language. Starting during the pandemic, I religiously studied grammar, memorized frequently used words, read short stories, listened to music, and watched Youtube videos for hours everyday. Everyday, I wrote in a diary about my daily life, which taught me words and sentence structures necessary for casual conversations. I fell in love with the phonetics and elegant nature of the language, and my goal became to make international friends. Although I was overwhelmed by everything that I could not understand, I knew that with enough time and dedication, I could master French. After two years, I could read news articles, understand films and formal communications, enjoy literature, and send letters to penpals. Earlier this year, I passed an internationally recognized French test, demonstrating my advanced mastery of French. I never imagined that I would learn more about myself, others, and the world through classic and contemporary French literature. Madame Bovary, the masterpiece of the 19th-century writer Gustave Flaubert, taught me how the media can make us desperately search for a perfect life and miss out on what is in front of us. I also felt touched by the similarity of my gritty immigrant experience in the novel Pour que je m’aime encore by Maryam Madjidi. Even though language learning is primarily a hobby, it also helps me gain opportunities in spite of my undocumented status. No matter my abilities, intentions, and dreams, my status currently prevents me from obtaining lawful employment and the financial, emotional, and material stability along with it. While I cannot conjure up a green card, I can continue preparing myself with education. I am studying linguistics at UC Santa Cruz, and I intend to engage in research on language acquisition to improve English instruction for immigrants like myself. Much like my parents sacrificed the life they had in Mexico for a better future, millions of other Latinos have taken the same path. Despite discrimination and barriers to having a comfortable life, we work hard and push through. Their perseverance motivates me to continue preparing myself to give back to my community in a meaningful way. My unique experiences as a self-taught polyglot and Latino immigrant will guide my future research to meet the specific needs of my Latino immigrants of all ages. As a professor or language instructor, I will mentor aspiring linguists and advocate for Latinos in academia.

My family and I immigrated to the U.S. in 2011 because of a lack of security and opportunities in Mexico. Our quality of life has improved ever since, but our undocumented status keeps us from realizing our potential. We must continuously circumvent the system to secure work, housing, a decent living, and a college education. We live in a state of unease, as we could lose everything at any given moment. As of right now, I cannot ignore this obstacle with such an overbearing impact on my present and near future, and neither can I make it disappear. We have been waiting for 15 years for my mother’s green card application to process, and we likely have years left to go. My family and other people in similar situations are stuck in a legislative limbo. My situation makes me wonder what it means to be an American, and if I truly deserve to be treated like one. During these reflections, I always imagine pleading to some politician to consider me as an American, explaining that I’m a model (non-)citizen, a humble linguistics student, and ready to fully devote myself to the country if given the opportunity. However, my conclusion is inevitably the same: I don’t need to justify my existence to anyone. I know my worth, and I will never let my immigration status make me believe that I’m inferior. I have found comfort and strength in my family and the community of undocumented students at my university. Being together with others with the same struggle shows me that I’m not alone and have a network of support on whom I can depend. I have learned to not surrender to my difficulties—no matter how daunting and serious they are. Although I cannot control everything in life, I can always choose to keep persevering and trying new methods. Therefore, I’m doing everything I can to prepare for university and beyond. Apart from being a full-time university student, I dedicate hours to independently studying various foreign languages, including French, Italian, Mandarin, Cantonese, and most recently, German. After three years, I took and passed the DALF C1 French exam, demonstrating my advanced level of French. My Italian is intermediate, and I plan to take the CELI B2 Italian exam later this year. My Mandarin is conversational, and I tested out of second-year Chinese at my university despite only self-studying it for a year. Lastly, my Cantonese and German are basic. Through language learning, I can explore other cultures and countries without needing to leave the country. Even though language learning is primarily a hobby, it also helps me gain opportunities in spite of my undocumented status. If waiting for a green card does not work out, I can continue my studies or work in another country. Being undocumented has forced me to become resourceful and constantly on the lookout for alternative paths to a better life. Greatly inspired by growing up bilingual and later multilingual, I intend to research language acquisition to improve foreign instruction, emphasizing immigrant populations and their unique struggles. I hope to use my work to tear down the language barrier for these communities, which are often politically and socially underrepresented, and help give them a voice. Without a legal work permit, I currently rely on private scholarships to cover the cost of tuition and housing. I cannot receive federal financial aid, and the aid I am receiving is still not enough. I have signed a contract for a $3000 per year DREAM loan for four years.