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I was born in
1980 in Cordoba, Argentina, and lived there
for nine years. In 1990, Argentina’s economy
deteriorated, and, like many other desperate
families in South America, my family decided
to migrate to the United States in search of
a better future. Upon arrival to the “land
of freedom and opportunity,” my family
immediately began the lengthy process of
legalization, which would last over a
decade. Growing up in this situation was
difficult; I was deprived of countless
opportunities, faced discrimination, and
lived a life of uncertainty.
Unfortunately, my status continued to affect
me after I graduated from high school. Due
to the high cost of non-resident tuition, I
was unable to enter a four-year university.
Instead, I attended a community college
while I continued my long wait to become a
legal permanent resident. Finally, after 11
years, my family’s dream of legalization
became a reality. As a resident, I was
allowed to pay instate tuition as well as
receive financial aid; the following fall I
transferred to the University of California,
Irvine. I graduated college this past June
with bachelor’s degrees in sociology and
political science. College graduation is an
accomplishment enough on its own; mine was
the culmination of a lifetime of waiting.
My experience as an immigrant helped me to
develop a sincere interest in helping the
Latino community. At UC Irvine I became
involved with Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano
de Aztlán (MEChA), a student organization
that advances Latino representation in
higher education through activism and
outreach. In 2001 I served as donations
chair for the Raza Youth Conference,
contacting local businesses for financial
support. I also became involved in student
activism, focusing my work on immigrant
rights. In January 2002 the efforts of
students from across the state were rewarded
when Assembly Bill 540 finally passed,
allowing undocumented immigrants in
California to pay in-state tuition. This was
an especially personal victory for me.
My experiences and awareness as an activist
helped me discover that I wanted to make
real changes in society through public
policy. For this reason, I decided to
participate in UCI’s Internship Program in
the fall of 2002. I moved to Washington,
D.C., for three months and interned for
Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, acquiring
invaluable knowledge and first-hand
experience in the policy-making process.
Upon my return to California, I began
working as research assistant with Leo
Chavez, a professor of immigration who
became my faculty mentor. His guidance,
coupled with university research grants and
the opportunity to speak with many
undocumented students about their own
experiences, enabled me to complete my
thesis, a comparative study investigating
the strategies undocumented students develop
in order to overcome barriers in higher
education.
As a result of my research, I established
contact with leaders from civil rights
organizations such as the Mexican American
Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF)
and was extended the invitation to attend
the Back to School Event in Washington,
D.C., in August 2003, to share my personal
story at a Capitol reception in front of
congressional representatives. The event was
organized to lobby Congress for the Student
Adjustment Act, a bill that would provide
undocumented students with the opportunity
to pay in-state tuition and eventually
become legal residents.
A few months after graduating from UC
Irvine, I was hired by the office of
Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard to work
as a Congressional Caseworker in the
district office in downtown Los Angeles.
Every day I have the privilege of
representing constituents from the Los
Angeles area whose needs and concerns are
not being met by federal agencies.
Furthermore, I have been volunteering as a
community liaison for the American Latino
Voter Education Fund, a nonprofit,
nonpartisan voter registration and education
organization that primarily focuses on
minority communities. Whether I am walking
precincts, sitting at a table in front of a
store, or simply registering friends and
family, registering people to vote gives me
a deep level of satisfaction because I know
that I am empowering others to voice their
opinions and exercise their constitutional
rights.
After all of my hardships, lessons and
experiences as an immigrant, I have learned
that what matters most in life is to remain
close to my family, hold true to my culture
and values, and utilize my education as the
most powerful tool with which to defend my
community. In the future, I plan to attend
law school and work at a civil rights
organization, ultimately running for public
office in order to induce change to
backwards policies that perpetuate
inequality, racism and social injustice. As
immigrants, we feel extremely privileged and
grateful to live in this country, and many
times we fail to recognize or even accept
the fact that we are discriminated against.
I want to be the voice that many people wish
they had and the fist that many wish they
could slam down to say, “ˇBasta ya! We need
change!”
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