Good to Find a Community Like This
 

Hello.

I came to America from Indonesia in June, 2002 with my mom. We came in here with a travel visa that only lasted three months and a staying permit of only six. At the American embassy in Jakarta, we told the worker that we intended to visit Disneyland, blah blah. That was our second time trying to get a visa.
The first time, my dad came along. I think the worker behind the counter was suspicious and rejected us.

Anyway, my mom and I have stayed long past the permit allowed us to. I'm now entering my junior year of high school, and trepidations are starting to creep in. I had always mentally prepared myself for the worst, since my mom had told me from the beginning that living here wasn't going to be easy since we would be illegal immigrants. Being illegal didn't really matter when I was in elementary school and middle school. When I entered high school, that's when I began to understand the whole scope of the situation.

I'm constantly worried about college. I take AP and Honors classes, my GPA is higher than a 4.0, and I'm a good citizen with extracurricular activities. But I know that those things aren't counted the same way for me as they are for a U.S. citizen. With AB-540, I guess I can rest a little easier. Still, I can't help but constantly fret about my life after college. As someone who likes to plan ahead, it's become like an endless personal struggle.
Not to mention the milestones that come with being sixteen. I can only dodge questions like, "Why aren't you driving yet?" and "Did you get your permit?" and "When are you gonna start driving?" for so long before it gets mentally tiring.

I just found this portal today, and I think now I'm prepared to do whatever I can to help move DREAM Act along. But I can't start helping without sharing my story first, right?

Re: Good to Find a Community Like This
 

(pirate voice) Welcome aboard mate.......Arrrrgggg, seems like your not alone.....Arrrgggg :D

Re: Good to Find a Community Like This
 

hey,
It's gonna be a struggle. You'll find your way somehow. Keep strong. I came here at the age of 8 legally on a H4 visa (child of a H2 worker) and basically overstayed my welcome. I went to elementary, middle school, high school, college and grad school.

I had to go through the same thing with the driver's license situation. This may seem far fetched but if you have a social security number, you can still get a driver's license in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and some other states. I found this out when I was a junior in college. So till then I went about dodging those questions with answers like, why do i need a license when i'm dorming in school?

As to the college question, I've been very lucky. I was able to found the funds to go to college and grad school from the help of my extended family.

Now i'm back at square one. Graduated from school but unemployeed and searching. At this point the dream act doesn't really seem to apply to me either. But we still need to hold our heads up and keep strong. I'm so glad this portal exists. Let's just hope that we can all stick together and encourge each other. Good luck with everything and just stay strong. I know it's incredibly difficult but there are other's like you and we are all here for each other.

Re: Good to Find a Community Like This
 

^^ Can you get a potential employer to sponsor you?

Yes, this portal is a great place.
I have one friend who knows my immigration situation, but he can't really understand it since he himself is a citizen here, you know?

My junior year starts soon, and I feel more at peace and hopeful with my situation somehow.
I think this portal helps with that.

Re: Good to Find a Community Like This
 

Welcome to the board. :D

I, and everyone here, know how you feel. I didn't find out I was here illegally until I was about your age and trying to apply to colleges. We'll see what happens in the next year or two. Hopefully, you'll be able to get into college smoothly and won't lose any time if/when DA passes.

Re: Good to Find a Community Like This
 

yea, seems like it was High school when everyone realizes we're not all equal...Don't give up, just prepare yourself for college and do good in school now. It will pay off in the end. I wanted to quit college but somebody said somehting to me that made sense. If the DreamAct is passed, its better to already have that degree or diploma in your hand and get in line then to wait around and waste time. if bad goes to worse, you can take that degree and go somewhere else, the US isnt the only place to make a life, its a great place, but if you cant move forward then look somewhere else.

Re: Good to Find a Community Like This
 

Thanks.

I think high school is the common place because that's when the separation between people become more emphasized. Everybody's pretty much equal in middle and elementary schools because nothing special happened during those times.

Real life stuff starts to creep in during the high school years.

Honestly, though, I'm glad that I know my immigration status firsthand.
My mom laid out the plan of overstaying before we even left Indonesia, so I sort of knew what to look forward to.
I've heard stories of people finding out when they were entering college after not knowing for 10+ years. That's scary.

Sometimes I hate/blame my mom for not doing more research on gaining a legal status before even applying for a visa. For not thinking of the repercussions that our illegality would have on me.
But I also know that she did this so I could have a better chance at a future, and it was the best she could do at the time.