I was born in Mexico City in 1994. I was brought to the US at the age of 3, and I remember as a young kid I loved this place. Here is where I grew up, excelling in elementary and middle school with high grades. I knew I would be someone important one day. In middle school I started looking at colleges I was interested in, and careers that I could see myself in one day. Little did I know, something that occurred when I was 3 could affect the possibilities of pursuing a career of which I dreamed. But at the time I didn’t know about this, and I was worry-free.

I became very interested in science, and why things happen in nature. The simple thought of an object falling due to gravity attracted me. Later on I entered high school, and I loved being there. It was around this time that I heard of the DREAM Act. Here is where I realized something kept a lock on the doors leading to my dreams. That one thing changes everything. My view of college and possible careers completely changed. I knew I would have to pay out-of-state fees, and I later on wouldn’t be able to have a job that would pay off the hard work and study. However, I decided to set my mind aside from this, and focus on my classes. I currently have a 3.98 GPA as a junior in high school and play varsity soccer and am member of a marketing club, where I won a medal at a competition. I’ve won several other awards, and was featured in a national yearbook. Every now and then I hear my senior friends talking about college and how excited they are knowing they have been accepted. I know this will be me next year, but I constantly worry; what if I can’t receive enough private scholarships to help pay the tuition? What if one day I graduate college and am not able to work? What if one day I am deported for simply living here, and going to school just like all the people I’ve grown up with?

My only hope is that the DREAM Act passes Congress. My American Dream is funded on hope. I don’t understand why I must go through this everyday struggle and worry. I’ve done nothing wrong. I’m just as American as the people I go to school  with. My only wish is to give back to the nation I call home, the United States.