Being a Dreamer

By: Alyssa Garcia

Being a college student can be a difficult adjustment, Laura Avila is an undocumented college student who struggled more with just the adjustment.

Photo of Laura Avila

The 21-year-old who was born in Mexico but raised in the United States.

“ It’s a place I don’t even remember because I was so young. I came here when I was one and I’ve been here ever since,” Avila said.

Avila is a Chaffey College transfer student where she earned associate degrees in psychology and social behavioral studies, but she wouldn’t have been able to accomplish this without a program called “Dreamers” . “It wasn’t until high school that I really knew what it meant to be undocumented,” she said. By applying to colleges and searching for jobs Avila began realizing the struggles of being undocumented. Without legal citizenship she didn’t have a social security number, but as a “Dreamer” Avila was able to obtain a social security number that allowed her to apply to colleges and get a job.

“The DACA program first started the year I was applying to colleges, and I was very fortunate to be a part of it,” she said.

Avila was accepted into UC Irvine where she studies psychology and DACA helped pay for most of her schooling. Her tuition, dorm, and books are paid for by the program. She was even given her extra money to help pay for her food.

The opportunity to be a “Dreamer” came with hard work, it was not something that was just given to her. She graduated with honors from both high school and Chaffey College.

Avila knew she had to work hard for what she wanted. She didn’t just stop at making it by in college.

“I think being undocumented I set high standards for myself, to prove that we are capable as much as anyone else to those who disregard us,” she said.

Besides being an undocumented student Avila shares the struggles in her everyday life. It is difficult for her to see her siblings who are documented, able to leave the country and come back at free will. She has not been able to see her family who live back in Mexico since she came to the United States. Her younger sister, Maria Avila, has visited them in previous years and Laura Avila wishes she had the same opportunity.

“I can’t say that I know exactly what they go through, but I’ve grown up seeing how they have different challenges that don’t exactly apply to me, and it is never easy to see people you care about struggle,” Maria Avila said.

Another struggle Laura Avila shares is being unable to live with her parents. Her parents and siblings lived in California until January 2019. They recently moved to Nevada because living in California was more than her family could afford. With the price of housing and taking care of four kids, life was hard to sustain.

“There’s this stigma that undocumented people are here to steal jobs but in reality they are working jobs that no one really wants to work,” she said.

Even with both her parents working jobs it still was not enough to keep their family together. It was hard for Avila to go from seeing her family every day to seeing them once or twice every two months. It was a difficult adjustment that she is still getting used to.

“Having to worry about what becomes of my future or what is going to happen to my parents is added on top of my education and surrounding problems, it is a big worry,” she said.

Despite being an undocumented student, Avila's goals are quite clear. She is continuing her education at UC Irvine where she will get her bachelor’s degree in psychological sciences. After that she plans to get her master’s degree in counseling so she can become a student advisor at a community college.