Imagine this:

You are six years old. You are suddenly thrown into a new country with new people and a language you don't speak. You're in first grade and are immediately surrounded by kids who don't look like you, don't think like you, and don't even speak the same language as you do.

Flash forward a few years. You're now in fifth grade. You speak the same language as your classmates now, but you still know you are different. You soon find out just how different, though, as your mother tells you that you are an undocumented child in the United States. You will never be able to make it further than high school.

That's a pretty terrifying reality. And it is the reality for the one million estimated undocumented children in the United States. It is the reality for Keyla Palominos.

"My dream was to come to college. My future was working in the fields."

Keyla is a sophomore at Washington State University. She is studying to become an English as a Secondary Language (ESL) Teacher. This is her story. This is her life. Keyla was the little girl who was thrown into a new life at the young age of six. Who had to be taught English so that she could take normal classes with the other kids. Who decided she was going to go to college even though she was undocumented and told that she could not. Who went to high school from 6:00-2:30 every day only to go work in the fields after school from 3:30-11:30 to help her family and save money so she could attain her dream of going to college. She was told she could not. She decided "it's time for me to make my own path."

There are currently several programs in place that exist to aid people like Keyla who are not U.S. citizens but want to work and attain higher education. The Washington Application for State Financial Aid (WASFA) is a program that exists to provide financial assistance to non-U.S. citizens in the state of Washington. Similar programs exist in some, but not all, states. DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, is the 2012 deferred action plan that was put into place by former president, Barack Obama. DACA allows non-citizen individuals to temporarily and legally be employed in the United States. DACA is an incredibly risky program, however, as it can be revoked at any time. This would mean the possible deportation of all individuals who were registered under it.

For Keyla, the future of this country and the education policies are incredibly daunting. Keyla's biggest dream is to become an ESL teacher so that she can give kids like her a fighting chance in this country. In five years, she sees herself in a Masters program and working for her Ph.D. "I'm just here to get my education, to get educated, and to give to my community." Prior to the presidential election, Donald Trump voiced his disdain for DACA, but has yet to speak of his plan of action since his inauguration in January. If DACA is repealed, this means that undocumented individuals who are working legally in the U.S., like Keyla, are at risk of being deported.

Many like to argue that people should come here legally. That illegal, undocumented individuals have no right in this country. I ask, why not? Why can these kids not be given a fighting chance? They didn't ask for this, so why are we not helping them? Why are we threatening their lives, their futures? Why do we continue to invalidate their very existences? They are human beings. They matter. They are good people. They want to go to school and learn and work and give back and live here, in this "land of opportunity." Who are we, as U.S. citizens, to tell them that they don't matter? Because they do.

When talking with Keyla, she was quiet for a moment before she voiced what she wishes the American people would do, what we can all do to help people like her. It's simple, really. All it requires is the American people "to open their hearts and their minds. To stand up and be an ally. Sharing information, calling legislators...just a small thing you can do will change a lot and it will help us. We get tired too. We are people too."

We finished talking after a while, and Keyla hugged me before saying goodbye. I don't know what the future looks like, but I do know that Keyla is the most honest, genuine, hard-working, strong, and kind woman I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I know that she deserves a future. No matter what happens in the months to come, I'll be there, opening my heart and mind and encouraging others to do the same, so that Keyla and the thousands of other undocumented children in this nation can one day have the same rights that I was given simply because of which side of the border line I was born on. I'll be here fighting if they ever try to take away Keyla's right to pursue an education and a future. I'll be here; try and stop me.