DACA Nursing Student
For as long as I can recall, I've always wanted to become a nurse. Choosing a career in nursing was a result of my life experiences. From an early age I was already exhibiting a nurturing personality. The adults that surrounded my life incessantly mentioned my innate desire to help others. I knew becoming a registered nurse was my way of helping others. I was later put to the test on whether or not I was fit to be a nurse.
When my grandma was diagnosed with terminal skin cancer in 2014, I decided I would take full responsibility of taking care of her. Learning that the person I considered to be like a mother to me was going to die tore me apart. It was not something I thought I was prepared for. I wanted to make her as comfortable and happy as possible in her last months of life. Taking care of my grandma in her last moments of life made me realize that taking care of others when they are close to death is not easy. It requires a lot of strength but it also made me realize that it is my calling. I am now on the road to becoming a registered nurse. I am in an Associate Degree of Nursing program and I am planning to continue my educational career by pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
The road to fulfilling this dream has not been easy but I am thankful for the adversities I have encountered. Each one has made me a much stronger individual. One of the greatest challenges that I have been faced with is the fact that I am an undocumented student. Trying to pursue higher education in itself is stressful but living with anxiety and fear of deportation is something that I was not ready to deal with. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) gave me an opportunity to come out of the shadows, but now once again I am left in limbo. DACA is not a permanent solution. I am in constant fear of not being able to fulfill my career goals since a requirement for nursing school is to be a legal resident of the United States. Despite living in uncertainty, I have not allowed myself to give up on my dream. I have continued to go to school and work hard to be the best nursing student I can be. I plan to overcome this challenge by not allowing the fear to disrupt my goal of becoming a nurse. I plan on continuing to work hard to pursue my dream. I have not lost faith in humanity and God and hence I hope that all my hard work will not be in vain.
Being raised in a single mother and immigrant household was arduous growing up. It meant that I had to learn the meaning of responsibility at a young age. My mother immigrated to the United States in 1999 in the pursuit of escaping poverty and building a better future for my sister and I. She arrived to the United States first and two years later she brought my sister and I.
Immigrating to a new country at only 9 years old had its own challenges, but the greatest one of all was the first time I realized that I was undocumented. This meant that I wasn't like everyone else; it meant that I would have to work harder to succeed. This realization became increasingly difficult to face as I got older and started applying to colleges. I was struck with the dreaded fact that I was not able to apply to FAFSA and colleges I’ve always dreamed of applying to. This hard truth brought me to tears many times but through this process I have learned a lot about myself. I have learned that people do not grow as much in life when things are easy but rather they grow when they are faced with adversity.
I was faced with the most challenges when I started college. Living with a single mom who cleaned houses for a living meant that there would not be enough money to pursue a higher education. Another challenge I faced was when I realized that I did not qualify for financial aid. This meant I had to work full time to pay for school and my books. I would have to work even harder to not only help my mom pay the bills but to also continue my education. Society has always made me feel as though I was not welcomed here. However, through it all I have learned to overcome the stigma that comes with being an immigrant. I have learned that my adversities are what shaped me into the hard working individual that I am today.
Today I am closer to achieving my dream but yet again I am faced with another adversity. I was accepted into a nursing bachelors program but cannot afford to pay over 19,000 thousand. Sadly I cannot apply to student loans or any other federal aid. So i decided to reach out to the community for help, I may not reach my goal but I'm sure anything will help me get a little closer my dream of becoming a registered nurse. I would like to thank everyone in advance for the help you may be able to give me and for taking your time to read my story.
When my grandma was diagnosed with terminal skin cancer in 2014, I decided I would take full responsibility of taking care of her. Learning that the person I considered to be like a mother to me was going to die tore me apart. It was not something I thought I was prepared for. I wanted to make her as comfortable and happy as possible in her last months of life. Taking care of my grandma in her last moments of life made me realize that taking care of others when they are close to death is not easy. It requires a lot of strength but it also made me realize that it is my calling. I am now on the road to becoming a registered nurse. I am in an Associate Degree of Nursing program and I am planning to continue my educational career by pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
The road to fulfilling this dream has not been easy but I am thankful for the adversities I have encountered. Each one has made me a much stronger individual. One of the greatest challenges that I have been faced with is the fact that I am an undocumented student. Trying to pursue higher education in itself is stressful but living with anxiety and fear of deportation is something that I was not ready to deal with. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) gave me an opportunity to come out of the shadows, but now once again I am left in limbo. DACA is not a permanent solution. I am in constant fear of not being able to fulfill my career goals since a requirement for nursing school is to be a legal resident of the United States. Despite living in uncertainty, I have not allowed myself to give up on my dream. I have continued to go to school and work hard to be the best nursing student I can be. I plan to overcome this challenge by not allowing the fear to disrupt my goal of becoming a nurse. I plan on continuing to work hard to pursue my dream. I have not lost faith in humanity and God and hence I hope that all my hard work will not be in vain.
Being raised in a single mother and immigrant household was arduous growing up. It meant that I had to learn the meaning of responsibility at a young age. My mother immigrated to the United States in 1999 in the pursuit of escaping poverty and building a better future for my sister and I. She arrived to the United States first and two years later she brought my sister and I.
Immigrating to a new country at only 9 years old had its own challenges, but the greatest one of all was the first time I realized that I was undocumented. This meant that I wasn't like everyone else; it meant that I would have to work harder to succeed. This realization became increasingly difficult to face as I got older and started applying to colleges. I was struck with the dreaded fact that I was not able to apply to FAFSA and colleges I’ve always dreamed of applying to. This hard truth brought me to tears many times but through this process I have learned a lot about myself. I have learned that people do not grow as much in life when things are easy but rather they grow when they are faced with adversity.
I was faced with the most challenges when I started college. Living with a single mom who cleaned houses for a living meant that there would not be enough money to pursue a higher education. Another challenge I faced was when I realized that I did not qualify for financial aid. This meant I had to work full time to pay for school and my books. I would have to work even harder to not only help my mom pay the bills but to also continue my education. Society has always made me feel as though I was not welcomed here. However, through it all I have learned to overcome the stigma that comes with being an immigrant. I have learned that my adversities are what shaped me into the hard working individual that I am today.
Today I am closer to achieving my dream but yet again I am faced with another adversity. I was accepted into a nursing bachelors program but cannot afford to pay over 19,000 thousand. Sadly I cannot apply to student loans or any other federal aid. So i decided to reach out to the community for help, I may not reach my goal but I'm sure anything will help me get a little closer my dream of becoming a registered nurse. I would like to thank everyone in advance for the help you may be able to give me and for taking your time to read my story.
Organizer
Cinthya Borda
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA