My teaching journey began when I applied to the School of Education at Hunter College as an undocumented student. I knew my immigration status might prevent me from fully using my degree, but I was determined to go as far as I could. My plan was simple: earn my teaching degree, and if I could not continue in the U.S., return to Ecuador with something no one could take away from me.

In 2013, just as I needed to begin fieldwork in NYC public schools, I was granted DACA. For the first time, I received a Social Security number and work authorization, which allowed me to complete fieldwork, obtain clearance, and eventually become a licensed teacher in New York State.
College was not easy. It was filled with failed attempts, payment plans, mistakes, advocacy, my parents’ sacrifices, and the support of my community. By the time I graduated from Hunter College in 2015 as a licensed NYS ELA teacher, I was exhausted but deeply proud.

I immediately pursued a master’s degree in Bilingual Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. But as DACA became increasingly unstable during the 2016 election, the fear of losing everything returned. I rushed to finish my degree while once again considering the possibility of leaving the country.
Then, two days before the first day of school in 2017, DACA was rescinded. Still, I showed up to teach a classroom of newcomer and multilingual students. I taught proudly and openly from my experience as an undocumented educator, shaped by the undocumented youth movement that fought for DACA in the first place. That perspective shaped my curriculum, my approach to language learning, and my commitment to helping students see themselves as leaders and advocates.

My students changed me. They reminded me that learning happens in community and that everyone deserves to be visible. I could not separate immigration from a classroom led by an undocumented teacher and filled with immigrant students. From that intersection of immigration and education, UndocuTeacher was born.