My Story...

Hello Everyone,

I joined this community about a month ago. I had been visiting the forums for about six months before I decided to join. It's a good source of information.

I am surprised to see that there are many in a situation similar to mine.

I didn't plan to post or contribute anything when I joined. At least that's what I told myself when I clicked the link to create an account. I thought , "I'm just going to read the news and threads posted by others." But I don't need an account to do that, do I? So maybe I do want to post something. It just feels good to vent and tell someone your story. Even if that someone is a group of strangers that probably don't care much about it. Really? Maybe I'm just writing this for myself.

It all started in 1993. I was a happy 8 year old boy excited about the possibility of seeing his dad again after 3 years. My mom said, "no hables y acuestate." So I took heed of her suggestion and laid in the back seat of a car. About thirty minutes later we were driving through the night. I vividly remember the stars and the moon. It was a clear night, and you could see many constellations. My favorite was Orion. I've always had a fascination with the night sky since I can remember. "Ya todo esta bien," said the driver of the vehicle. A guy I had never seen before.

We kept driving for about four hours. We pulled up at a 7-11, and another car was waiting for us. As soon as I got into the other car, I was hugged by some-one. At first I didn't know who that person was, but then I realized. It was my father. I was happy. As happy as an 8 year old can be.

My joy would continue for the years to come. I was enrolled in school. I made new friends. I liked our new home. Everything seemed different and appealing. Everything smelled nice. I loved it.

I spent the next 5 years with my parents. I learned the language. I learned about, what I thought at the time, was my country. I was a proud American boy.

Then the news came. My grandma was dying. My dad wanted to see her. He said he hadn't seen her for over 15 years, and he would not be able to forgive himself if he didn't see her before she passed. He said we were going back to Mexico. I thought, "cool, we're going to see grandma." I did not know the consequences of that decision.

So we left this country. We went back to my parents' hometown. We saw my grandma. She died 2 years after that.

My parents enrolled me in school. Six months went by. One day I asked my father, "when are we going back?" I had no friends in this strange place. All my friends were back home, I thought. We can't go back, he said. At first it didn't hit. It all seemed so simple, but deep down I knew why. He explained to me that it was hard to cross the border, and that we needed money for that. Money that we didn't have. So it hit me. The place I called home wasn't really my home, and we weren't even supposed to be there in the first place. I wasn't allowed to go back home.

I came to terms with the situation. I made new friends and girlfriends. I was again happy. We were struggling financially. My parents were always worried about work, buying food, buying school supplies, etc. Then one day my dad sat down with me and told me he had to leave. He said he wasn't making enough money to support us. He said he was going back to the US. I asked if I could come with him, and he said I couldn't for now.

My dad left. He sent money and called us on a regular basis. Four years passed. I graduated high school at 17. I was at a point in my life where I needed to make a decision. I wanted to continue studying, but we had no money. My dad wasn't sending money as often anymore, and all the money he sent was used to buy food and pay for utilities.

I got a scholarship to go to a university. Later I found out that the "scholarship" only covered about 1/4 of the tuition. This university was out of the state. I still had to pay for books, food, and housing. I was not going to be able to do that on my own, and my dad wasn't sending enough money.

So I decided I was going to go north. I decided that going to the US was the best option. I packed my things and came back. At 17, I was aware some how that it was wrong, but I couldn't grasp the severity of what I was doing. My mom followed me a year after that.

I got here and started working right away. I was doing many types of jobs - landscaping, retail, construction, etc. I still wanted to continue my education. So I started investigating my options. A state or private 4 year university was too expensive for me at the time. The only option at the moment seemed to be a community college.

So I enrolled at a local community college. I financed my way through college. So I was working during the day and going to school at night. After two and a half years I graduated with an AAS Degree. I rather not mention at the moment what the degree is about, but let's just say it's related to the Information Technology field.

At 20 years old and fresh out of a community college, I was eager to work. I started submitting my application to many possible employers. Whenever I was called for an interview, I was always upfront about my situation. I didn't want to lie. If I was going to be hired, I thought, my employer needed be aware of my situation.

This obviously cost me many possible opportunities. They would either tell me up front that they would not be able to hire me, or they would say they would call but never did.

I went through the motions, and I was rejected many times. Until one day a friend of mine approached me and said - "I may know someone that can help you. He doesn't care about your situation. As long as you give him some "documentation" that gives him some plausible deniability, he will hire you."

So I met with this person. As I always did on many past interviews, I told him about my situation. He said he was aware. We continued with the interview, and he hired me.

I was finally working in my field. I was doing a good job, and my employer liked me. After about two years of me working for him, he said that he wanted to help me. So we started talking to attorneys about our options. We wanted to see if it was possible to change my situation through him - my employer. The attorney said that it was possible.

Then something unexpected happened. There was a tragic accident, and my employer lost his life. It was surreal. I thought, "this can't be happening!" Alas, it was.

His wife inherited the business. She may have been part owner already. I'm not sure. I had never met his wife. The first time I saw her was when she called every employee for a meeting to tell us that our services would no longer be needed. She sold the company to a competitor (sold the accounts) and closed down the business. I did not ask for a reason. It was done, and it was out of my hands.

I was, once again, unemployed. It was close to Christmas 2007. I was brainstorming. What are my options at this point? I thought. For someone in my situation, it is very difficult to get hired in my field. I caught a lucky break almost three years ago. That probably was not going to happen again - I thought.

Maybe I could get another job, any job, and I could finish a career at a 4 year college. I had saved some money. The only problem was that starting a few months before December 2007, a law had been passed that stated that Legal Presence in this country was a requirement to be considered an in state student for tuition purposes at any state university or community college. That meant my tuition was going to be four times higher. I couldn't possibly afford that.

I sent my resume to some other places. And just like last time, I was rejected.

Then, In January 2008, an idea hit me. My position at my previous job was a managerial position. I had created business relationships and made connections. I had learned the ins and outs of marketing, getting new customers, retaining customers, and running that type of business. I also had over 2 and a half years of experience performing the services that type of business required - on top of the AAS Degree.

Why don't I start my own business? I thought.

And there it was. So clear and easy to see. yet I hadn't seen it before.

And so I did. I called some business attorneys that I knew and asked for guidance. They pointed me in the right direction, and I started my own business. I created a brand for myself, created a website, started networking, and started to go after customers.

The initial investment was minimal, and I was living off of my savings for the first six months or so.

I got my first customer a few months after I started the company. Little by little my business started growing. I started getting more customers through word of mouth. Thanks to the networking groups I visited and the amount of satisfied customers I had, I started getting more and more customers.

Since then, things have been up and down, but I've always had customers. I've always had a steady stream of income. It's been almost three years now. I've hired one employee, and if I need more than that I hire contractors - people I trust.

Since then I was able to get a driver's license. My state does not provide licenses to people in my situation, but I was able to travel to one of the states that does, and I was able to get one. That's actually helped me a lot.

My company had a gross profit of about $100,000 in 2010. This year it's only been three quarters, but my books already show a gross profit of about $170K. I've got a few projects in line, and I'm expecting to hit the $200K mark. And yes, I DO pay taxes. A lot of taxes. I'm single and only 26 years old.

I've decided to go back to college. Obviously I don't have a lot of disposable time any more, but I am taking at least one or two classes a semester. Slowly but surely I will get my 4 year degree.

I am aware that I don't qualify for the Dream Act. That is, unless I lie and tell them that I never left the country since 1993. I don't have an American high-school diploma, but I can always get a GED. It should be pretty simple since I've already taken and passed college level English classes and college level calculus classes.

I've accomplished so much. Yet I still feel empty and frustrated inside. I feel this is my country. I feel like an outsider in my own country. I feel I am a productive member of society. Yet many people don't want me here. I think if I left it would actually hurt the country.

I always tread carefully. So there are a lot of things that I haven't done with my business due to my situation. I believe I could accomplish a lot more if I had the chance. I would create more jobs. I already create work for many US citizens. My employee and all of the contractors I use are US Born Citizens.

I will wait and see what happens. I will see where life will take me.

I am angry and frustrated.

Wow, you're an inspiration to many in this site.

Hi GordonFreeman!

This was a long read but... it was worth it. Thank you for sharing your story!!

Also, I think that you're a very good writer and I hope that your company will one day make it in the Fortune 500 list. Good luck!

What you've done for yourself thus far is pretty frickin' amazing. Good for you for finding opportunities for yourself, despite your circumstances! Though you mentioned that you're frustrated because you have the potential for even greater success, just know that in life, we all face obstacles that need to be overcome. That's how I look at my situation. Make the best out of what I have at the moment, continue to pursue my dreams the best I can and despite my limitations, and hope that one day I can live the life that I ultimately envision for myself.

You story was amazing to read! Stay positive, stay motivated, and keeping dreaming big!

You are a very good writer. I agree with the approach that you took at solving one part of the problem we face in this society because of our status. If there are no jobs for us because of our immigration status but we got the skills then we need to create our own jobs. You have accomplished so much so don't get too caught up in the frustration and anger that comes with the territory. Keep up the good work and put aside the things that might slow you down. I know it is hard to stay in school at the same time that you are working in your business but one thing I suggest is to not stop going to school. It will take some time but don't give up, finishing your 4 years degree will benefit you in the short and long term. All the best to you.

Wow you're amazing! Thank you so much for nice story! It really encouraged me. I hope that you can help people that are in the similar situation as you do.

Thanks for sharing your story. It's quite inspiring. You are winning against all odds.

Your post really inspires me.

Great story. Your persistence is certainly enviable. Keep going and get your degree. It's stories like yours that will finally make politicians see what they're missing out on.