It took a lot of effort

My family came from Colombia in February 2001 due to threats from the Colombian guerrilla. We overstayed and applied for political asylum. Our case was denied, and my parents, younger sister and I were all under an order of deportation for a couple of years. Only until recently did my parents obtain their green card due to a request from an older sister who became a citizen a couple of years ago after marrying. Now the burden has been left on me and my younger sister, but we have hopes that by the time she would care about her status some sort of immigration reform has been made.

I've put tremendous efforts since I was in high school in an attempt to minimize the costs of my education. Not only have I dedicated my free time to self-learning, but since 10th grade I began spending my after-school hours by enrolling college classes during after school hours. Then during 11th and 12th grade, I enrolled a very special high school to which I am very grateful of: School for Advanced Studies at Miami Dade College (MDC). It is a high school located MDC where students are allowed to take college courses in the morning and taught high school classes in the afternoon. Not only did I take the maximum amount of courses allowed, but I also took classes after school. Thanks to these efforts I managed to transfer 69 credits and complete my undergraduate degree in 5 (very expensive) semesters, mostly founded through my grandparents' life savings.

And now, here I am, about to complete my MS degree, dreaming of a PhD.

Are you sure it was because of the Colombian guerrilla??? I"m sorry but I alway's hear this extraordinary stories about fleeing because of civil war or some other type of conflict.. I just find them a little hard to believe in most cases. You find this a lot with Nicaraguans, according to them they were all doctors and school principles in there homeland, but even though they didn't want to they had to leave because of the war.. Yea right!!! Maybe in some cases..

That fact that your political asylum request was denied ( which it always is) kinda solidifies my theory that your story is just a little bit skewed...

I"m not trying to be mean and by all means your probably smarter then me, but I just want people to tell it how it is.. We left because we were poor and wanted a better life problem solved amigo..

Maybe the guerrilla was just an excuse...

Feel free to tell me i'm an idiot and that i'm wrong...

Welcome to the forum..

Welcome to the forum
your story inspires me to work hard toward my own dream

Believe it or not, individuals do get threatened, kidnapped, killed for political affiliations and participation. We were threatened and people my parents worked with were murdered. And coincidentally, my mother was a doctor back in Colombia; until recently she was a babysitter. Nonetheless, we did come here because we wanted a better life. Even then I will admit that I've had it easier than most other DREAMers and I was very lucky to have compassionate Grandparents that funded most of my costs, which allowed me to accelerate my studies and relieved me of any preoccupations about having to work days and nights to fund myself.

Just curious, where are you from?


Thanks, it's the least we can all do. See you around.

Your mom was Doctor.. You see that's funny because my aunt is a nurse and even she had the sense to try and be sponcer by a U.S hospital.. You would think that someone as smart as a Doctor would try and do the same... After all an overstayed visa gives you what a couple of months to a year or so of legal standing...

From Doctor to babysitter that most be rough....

By the way I"m from California... My family has been in California for over 500 years... It could be upper or lower California.. Historically It has all just been one California..

Anyways fesago90 i'm just messing with you man...

I hope you will be more involved here at the forum.. Sometimes I can be a little rough..