Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, commonly known as DACA, is an "American immigration policy that allows certain undocumented immigrants who entered the country before their 16th birthday and before June 2007 to receive a renewable two-year work permit and exemption from deportation" (uscis.gov).

As a DACA recipient, I am beyond thankful for the many doors that have opened up for me and my future. Such reasons include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. The opportunity to be able to work in the U.S.

With such opportunity, I was able to help my parents by paying for my living expenses, textbooks, and any other costs aside from tuition throughout my last two years of college. Similarly, after graduation I was able to apply, interview, and land the position I so long desired, of teaching at the middle school level. I know for a fact that without this immigration policy I would not have been able to go beyond an interview for this position.

2. The opportunity to be able to obtain my drivers license

As if overcoming my fear of driving was not tough enough, a new fear was introduced, receiving a ticket -- if not an even more severe consequence, for driving without a license! Considering that I did not need a car while I was in high school, I did not prioritize obtaining a driver's licence. Yet, once I realized that I would need to drive to my various observation placements for my classes, this thought became a number one priority. Thankfully, by this time I was already a DACA recipient, which made the process a whole lot easier, but had I not been in that position I would have probably not been able to obtain my driver's licence and would have struggled getting to and from classes throughout my last two years of college.

3. The opportunity to travel within the U.S.

Before becoming a DACA recipient, I did take several trips within the U.S. via automobile, but they were always trips accompanied by my parents. When I was in the seventh grade, my history teacher was organizing a trip to Washington D.C. as an opportunity for students to witness all that we were covering in class. I vividly recall taking the packet of information home to my parents and explaining to them why I should go to this trip and the benefits of being able to travel with my class. Only for my parents to explain that I would not be able to go due to the fact that my current immigration status did not allow for such trip. Nonetheless, thanks to DACA, I had the opportunity to be a chaperon for a trip to Disney and Universal Studios for the Make A Wish Foundation.

4. The ability to no longer fear deportation

If one's family, aspirations, and life up to this point are in a land that is not one's own, one would simply fear the possibility of being evicted due to the lack of appropriate residence/citizenship.

As an 8-year-old child whose parents longed for a safe environment for their family, I did not have a choice when it came down to moving away from what I knew as home. At that moment, the thought of moving was nothing more than an adventure in my mind. For as long as my Mom said "All will be fine," I found no greater reason to question the matter. Little did I know that this adventure would face a harsh reality during my junior year of high school when I was not able to apply for various scholarships, financial aid, and even certain universities. To make matters even more interesting, immigration became a higher concern within the U.S., which meant that deportations were at a higher risk. This then led me to live in the shadows of hopes and dreams for some time. In spite of that, if there is something that this country has truly ingrained in me, it is to never give up, for there is always a solution. In this case, that solution was DACA.

5. The hope that one day I will be able to become a citizen of this blessed country

For the past 15 years I have adopted this country as my home. Even before being a DACA recipient, I longed for the day of being able to fully enjoy the pride of being part of this great nation. To this day, I long for a sense of belonging within this nation, in the sense that one day I may be adopted by this nation as a productive citizen. For living in a country from which one is not originally from, yet consider one's niche, it only brings about the hope to be considered a citizen someday.

For this and more, I am thankful for the great avenue of opportunities that DACA has brought about for me.