Hello, I'm new to this forum :)

Hello everyone my name is Erika I'm from the city of Mexico and i'm currently living in California. Like many of you I share the same story.

When I was about 5 -6 years old my dad decided to come to the U.S to be able to make more money to give us (me and my sisters) a better future. His plans were to come to the U.S and stay here for a couple of years , save some money and then go back to Mexico, but that didn't happen.

When I was 9-10 years old my mom also decided to come to the U.S with my dad. Things (economically) were getting a little tough for us in Mexico. So my parents decided that it would be better for all of us to go to the U.S. My mom was first. She came to California to meet with my dad while me and my two sisters stayed with my grandma in Zacatecas. We stayed with my grandma for a year and then my parents send for us.To be honest i had no idea of how things were gonna be over here in the U.S, I thought things were gonna be better for us over here, which in a way they are.

I started 6th grade over here in Cali, things were going good till I got to my junior year in high school when i tried to challenge myself even more by taking college classes while i was still in high school. Many of my friends were taking college classes and the adviser from one of the clubs I was part of in high school recommended me to also take college classes because for high school students the classes at a community college were free plus it was gonna make me more competitive and it was gonna increase my opportunities into getting into a UC (University of California; some of the best 4 year universities in California) . So not really knowing anything about my situation/status i decided to go for it and take a college class, but when i was gonna register for the class they told me I had to pay like $600 dollars for it because i didn't have an SSN or legal status.
That's when it hit me, because i didn't know i was limited to do certain things just because i didn't have a nine digit number, I was here thinking i had the same opportunities as everyone else. So I didn't end up taking any college classes because of course i didn't have the money to pay for it. So i started to get more informed about my situation, but to be honest it was devastating for me to know that I was limited to do a lot of stuff, I couldn't get into programs i wanted to form part of in high school just because i didn't have a nine digit number . Sometimes my friends would ask me why, but i couldn't tell them why because i was scared that they might look at me different .

I knew I was gonna have to try my hardest and I did. I did as much as i could but even when i tried my hardest i wasn't able to gather the money to pay for college. I got accepted into all the universities I applied to, but couldn't go to any of them because of the money, but i didn't stop there. I decided to go to a community college. I have to admit it, i felt a little depressed because i couldn't go to a 4 year university right out of high school just like many of my friends did, especially knowing that i tried my hardest in high school and ended up in a community college, but it turned out to be not that bad at least i'm still studying.

To be honest i used to think I was the only one in this situation, but now that got more into searching more about my situation i was impressed to find out how many people are in the same situation that I am and that's really encouraging so don't give up guys we're not alone let's keep on fighting for our dreams!

Welcome! I am from Cali too. I wish I had the money or at least the financial aid to go to UCLA. I got accepted to all the UCs but ended up going to Cal State Long Beach because it was cheaper.

it's sad not being able to go to the University you work so hard to get into ... but at least you're still in school and sooner or later you'll be able to finish your career ^_^

Now that we have the California Dream Act, I can transfer to UCLA if the grant can cover most of the tuition. Do you plan transferring somewhere else?

I think they only give you like $12,000 with the cal grant, but you also qualify for the UC grant , but not sure how much they might give you , but wish you the best of luck! .

Yes, i'm planning to transfer to CSU Northridge and get my bachelor's degree there, and after that, I'm gonna transfer to UC Santa Barbara to get my masters

Hi Erika! Thanks for sharing your story with us!

My name is Gabriela, I'm from Sonora, Mexico.

I'm working on a documentary on the life of undocumented people in the U.S. Many of us understand the struggles of coming to America in search of our dream, but many others don't have a clue on how hard the situation is.
This is my way of voicing all our opinions, and letting those who are unaware of all dreamers situation to get familiar with the struggles some people have to go through to live a normal life, and just simply provide for their families.

I'm also located in California and I'm hoping to find a dreamer brave enough to share his/her story on my documentary. Your identity can be kept secret of course; I just really need the support of someone to help me put this amazing stories on screen.

Contact me if this sounds interesting to you. Good luck with everything!

[email protected]

Yeah, that's why I never bothered with applying to any colleges. Community college-ing it right now, though. Plan to get a 2 year major then hope for an immigration reform soon in order for me to study what I'm really passionate about: the universe. Best of luck fellow dreamer!

I also hope they pass an immigration reform soon! Thank you! ^_^ I wish you the best at accomplishing all your goals and dreams in life I'm sure you will

i feel you erika!