When I was four, I moved to the United States. I have a very blurry memory of the life I had in Mexico beforehand. I mostly remember my mom raising me all those years with my three older siblings while my dad traveled back and fourth to occasionally visit. Then it came to a point where it was too much commuting for my dad and we felt we were basically growing up without him. So my parents filed for visas for me and my siblings, and my parents were also going to come to the U.S. We were granted the visas and soon after we moved here to start our new life.
For a while, we stayed with family in their homes, while my parents looked for a place of our own. Then around the time we switched to a different family's home, my mom was pregnant with my little brother. So it was going to be seven of us. Eventually, we found a home to call ours, with enough space for all of us. Since we had also started school in the U.S., we had to learn a whole new language. For me, it was easier to adapt, but my siblings were in their early teens, so they had to take extra speech classes to learn English. That did not stop any of us, we were grateful for the opportunities we had. Essentially, the reason my parents wanted to move to the United States was to give us a better education and opportunities that we would not get in Mexico.
I was very lucky to get a chance to come to the United States documented and with people to help. Life would have been different in Mexico, and my parents made the right choice for all of us. We have come a long way since then. My oldest sister has a family of her own now and I have my beautiful niece. My second oldest sister is well on her way to higher education. My older brother is doing film work and anticipates making a satiric short about a Latino in college. My little brother is in middle school now and has been falling in love with the art of music. And now for my 18-year-old self; I am in college studying as a management major at UC Merced. So you can say that my parents made the right choice. I am so grateful that my parents have shown their continuous support to whatever we decide to do.
Because I am documented, I did not have the same struggles as an undocumented person. That does not mean I am not going to be an ally when they need my help. I understand that they need us, and I was lucky in my situation. Others are just not given the same opportunities and I know where they are coming from. My parents had to do the struggling for us while we did whatever would follow. I am endlessly appreciative of everything my parents did to get me where I am and my education is not just for myself. It's for them. I had many privileges along the way, but it's not the same for everyone.
Undocumented students have one of the biggest roadblocks for education, but it does not mean they won't stop until they get the same opportunities to access higher education. More than half of the population in California is undocumented. They stood in fear before, but now, by the numbers, they stand stronger than ever. Just because the media wants to portray them a certain way doesn't mean they all categorize under the same stereotype. They are going to work twice as hard to achieve their dreams because they should get the same chance to gain their aspirations as the next person.
"They are not afraid anymore, they are just undocumented." - Alex Delgadillo
