Stand with Michelle: Fight for Her Future

Hi, I’d like to start off by introducing myself. My name is Shelsy. I am 16 years old, a born and raised US Citizen. I am writing this on behalf of my older and only sister, Michelle. As many of you may know, under this new administration, a lot of our innocent and hardworking people have been affected. As a US Citizen with Latin roots, it hurts me to see this happening. My biggest fear came true… My older sister was detained by ICE during a regular traffic stop. She is not a criminal; she has a clean record and represents all the morals that a US Citizen should. My sister was detained for three and a half weeks. Those days were the hardest days of my life. My only sister, the person I would text and call every day, was now temporarily gone. Although we were able to sometimes speak, it wasn’t the same as having my sister a couple of minutes away to hug whenever I needed a hug. This time has been hard for me and everyone else around her. The impact she has and has had on everyone’s life was shown throughout this difficult time. Everyone that loves her wants her to stay.

My sister has worked so hard academically. She is my role model. She was in cheer and in soccer for most of her middle school and high school years. She was the reason why I decided to start playing soccer now that I am in high school myself. She was a part of the National Honors Society in high school, and I wanted to be just like her. I worked hard in school to surprise her with my invitation saying that I qualified for NHS. She helped me write my essay and was there the day of my ceremony. I can’t imagine not having my sister for my future endeavors. She has always been involved in her community. From creating a Mexican American society group along with her friends, creating fundraisers, providing information for the community, and just overall finding ways to advocate for those around her. Despite being undocumented, she beat the odds and completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice. She completed her internship with our city’s police department. She always told us how much she aspires to be a cop, a detective, and then a lawyer. She’s passionate about politics and about the justice system overall. She wasn’t born here, but this IS HER country. She wants to continue school and receive her master’s degree.

Everyone’s full-time job is enough for daily expenses and basic needs, but the rapidly escalating costs of legal defense fees scare me. I decided to take it upon myself to create this GoFundMe to help my sister accelerate her process without having to stress much about other things, but her case. I wish I could do more for her, but this is my way of showing my support and appreciation for her. I am two years away from starting college, and I can’t imagine my sister not being around. From college entrance essays to acceptance letters, I want her around for it all. I can’t imagine my life here without my only sister.

With that being said, I wanted to thank everyone for taking the time to read about my sister’s story. With this economy, I understand that it’s hard for everyone; however, all donations are appreciated. Thank you all for your time.