American citizens are one of the luckiest people in the world, and they are oblivious to this. Growing up knowing my family and I were here illegally was a huge fear instilled in me since I was six. I was terrified of the police. I remember my parents being pulled over once and crying hysterically because I just knew we were all going to be sent back. In high school, I had to take odd jobs to make money because I could never present a social security number to employers. I was not able to get as much as an identification card or a drivers license because of my status. I was always making up excuses to my friends as to why I could not get on a plane, or go to Mexico for senior trip. They didn't know that if I left I would not be able to come back into the United States. In 2012, I was lucky enough to finally have that weight lifted off my shoulders. I was eligible to become a DACA recipient. I was only a young kid paying my own immigration and attorney fees. Obtaining DACA was tough for me. Not only was I paying it on my own, but when I was finally approved it was lost in the mail and I was told I would have to resubmit all of my paperwork and repay all the fees. It was crushing to hear that I would have to pay everything all over again. In high school, I was awarded TOPS scholarships to attend college, but because I was undocumented I could not attend college and was forced to forfeit them. In 2016, I decided I would pay for my own schooling. After three semesters, and being a single mother with a full time job, and no assistance, I had to stop attending college. The fire in me to become an immigration attorney never subsided. I dreamed of being heard and presenting bills for a more proactive approach for fair immigration in the future. For immigrants that just want a better legal life here it is so much harder to obtain citizenship and we, as a country, should come up with better solutions to this. Almost seven years later, I am still on the pursuit to achieve these goals. As a DACA recipient, we are not allowed to receive federal aid to attend college, but that will not stop me from pursuing my dreams one class, one semester at a time. No matter how long it takes me, I will do it because as an immigrant, giving up is never an option.