Living undocumented from childhood into adulthood shaped my life in the United States. In my youth, I learned to hide any information about my immigration status because I feared deportation which was always a possibility.

The restlessness of growing up undocumented led me to connect with folks at the NYSYLC. It was at one of their general meetings in 2009 that I was enlightened to learn that I was in fact, not the only undocumented person in the world. There were other undocumented young people with similar stories as mine, all of whom were simply trying to find ways to work, go to college, and imagine a better world for themselves and their families. That day, I listened to stories from undocumented activists who were arrested in Georgia for protesting laws that banned undocumented youth from accessing certain institutions of higher education. I witnessed so many young people openly sharing that they were undocumented. Many of them were living full lives, completely untethered by this social condition that had made me feel so invisible for so long.

I was so inspired.

At only 20 years old, this moment transformed me and moved me. From this point forward, I joined and nurtured spaces to advocate for NYS Dream Act, a law that would open up state-funded financial aid to undocumented youth. This work set the foundation for my advocacy as a teacher for my immigrant and multilingual students.