Anchor baby.

This is a term that I had never heard in my 17 years of existence–even though I was the kid who’d watch "World News With Diane Sawyer" every day religiously–until 2015. It is an offensive label for children who are born in the United States to undocumented immigrants. I wish I could go back to my blissful state of ignorance from before. It isn’t that I didn't know people out there were disgusted that my family was living here and wished we were gone. I just never realized the extent of how truly hateful America is until the election started. But they don't know how I live and they don't know how much pain they have caused me and my family.

Ever since I learned what college was, my parents have told me they expected me to get a full ride to college, una beca completa. I knew it wasn't something that I could get by just working hard. I needed to push myself to compete at the maximum level. Nothing less. I live in a city where I have friends that are children of undocumented parents. They understand my pressure to succeed and to leave the life of poverty I have always known. But life became tricky. One of the biggest fears I have is that my parents will be deported. I remember when I was younger, I watched an episode of "La Rosa De Guadalupe," a show famous for showing real situations like the dangers of talking to strangers. The story for this one was that there was a mother that got deported, leaving her children behind. I asked my parents if that could really happen, and with sadness in their eyes, they said yes. I began crying because I didn't know this was a part of my reality. My father was deported during my junior year. A new fear emerged: what if my mom was deported, too? My mother is my main support system and I couldn't imagine a life without her. There was no one who would take us in or that could handle taking care of my disabled little brother the way she could.

This is what makes me angry. This amazing woman, who struggled working at factories and who would get a second job if she didn't have to get my brother ready for school and take him to his various appointments, is seen as a criminal. She pushed me to keep going for my dreams even when I was reaching my limit of exhaustion because I knew I couldn't give up. I had to keep going. She passed down her value for working hard. Her strength and kindness amazes me, but people only see her status. She dreams of the day where she could reach her full potential in the country that she has seen as her home for decades. It makes me want to punch a wall to know people think she deserves to be kicked out instead of chasing people who are actually causing issues in the country.

There is one memory I’ll never forget. I remember the day I found out the results for the Questbridge National College Match. It was the day I found out if I achieved the dream my mom has always wanted for me: la beca completa. I came home and told my mother I didn't get it. She hugged me as I asked her what she thought of Massachusetts. Bewildered, she asked why. I revealed to her I actually I got a full ride to Amherst. We stood there hugging and crying for awhile because we have wanted this so much. I accomplished my parents dreams of finding a way out of poverty and am on the path to success. I know I’m more than just an anchor baby. I’m going to become someone amazing in this world no matter what insults people throw at me and help my mom out of her situation. It would be nice if I changed someone's mind to see we are good people that deserve a chance. But if I didn't, that's okay. I just want to reach out to anyone who also has undocumented parents for them to know to not let these crappy politicians and people upset them. You can succeed, too.