STUDENT VOICES
IMMIGRATION STORIES
My America
My America ... only belongs to a few
It belongs to those who have a 9-digit number attached to their name
It belongs to those who can call this country their birthplace K.H.
My America is freedom in a jail,
My America is hiding from ICE
My America is loneliness in a full house
My America is wanting love from a new family
My America is a new beginning
My America ends the darkness from my old life. Y.M.
"We are all Americans," my father says
But people have forgotten that America is more then one country
They have forgotten America was shaped by immigrants
It was shaped by the Niņa, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria
It was shaped by those who disembarked the Mayflower
It was shaped by the ships that reaped slaves from Africa
It was shaped by those who cried out their joy when they stepped on Ellis Island
It was shaped by those who wrote down their sorrows on the walls of Angel Island K.H.
My America is where my skin color matters
My America is a place where the brown tide is rising
My America is a world full of possibilities
My America lets me speak for my rights, but my accent is criticized 24/7
My America is breaking up with my shyness, and facing new disputes
My America is confronting my past to achieve happiness Y.M.
America ... THIS America is a bigger world than my world in Guatemala K.H.
My America is going to a prestigious school Y.M.
This America cured my mother from her thyroid illness
This America allowed my family to be together again K.H.
My America is a place where dreams become reality Y.M.
This America allowed me to dream ... only to turn those dreams away K.H.
My America means being an illegal alien even though I am a human like YOU. Y.M.
Maybe some day I will be allowed a choice when I will choose
This America to be what I hoped it would be ...
FREE K.H.
My America isn't mine, but neither is YOURS. Y.M.
About the Authors
Karen is one of E4FC's 2008 Scholars and 2010 Interns. At the age of twelve, she emigrated with her family from Guatemala. She recently completed her bachelor's degree in Economics from Santa Clara University, where she received the prestigious Hurtado Scholarship. Karen plans to pursue a PhD in Public Policy.
Yoshi is one of E4FC's 2010 Scholars. She immigrated to the United States from Mexico when she was 15 years old. After arriving in Daly City, she graduated from high school and then enrolled full-time at Skyline Community College. She was the only student in her Puente Project class to graduate from Skyline in just two years, despite being financially independent from her parents and working almost 40 hours a week to fund her education. Yoshi is now a junior at UC Berkeley, where she is majoring in Sociology and minoring in Women's Studies. In the future, she hopes to be a college counselor.
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