Unocumented Immigrant: Personal Narrative Analysis

My parents were both undocumented immigrants from small villages in Mexico, and the experiences that are fundamental to me are those from my childhood, which I experienced from the perspective of a child of undocumented immigrants. I remember the fear that I felt whenever I saw strangers, because I strongly believed that each time a stranger was near my parents would somehow be sent away. I longed to communicate, but it felt as though I was burdened with a greater awareness of who I was and what situation I was born into. I feared that once I spoke, I would be labeled an outsider. My first language was Spanish, and I vividly recall running to my neighbors and having a conversation only speaking gibberish in the hopes of communicating my thoughts

I remember the talks my mother gave me each morning in our 1997 Aerostar van, which my mother had cleaned houses to pay for. She always instilled that we were fortunate, even if we were struggling, we were fortunate. She had jobs, she had her health, we were a family, and for those things we would always have to be grateful. My love for academics immediately set me apart from the world in which I had always been an insider. I was immediately labeled differently from my family members outside of my immediate family, who felt that academic pursuits were a waste of time and money. In many ways, I was an outsider and an insider simultaneously. I was an insider in the sense that I celebrated the same culture as my family members, lived in a predominantly black and hispanic neighborhood, and an outsider in the sense that I was always different because of my culture in spaces where my culture was foreign. As well as the fact that where I came from, education was not seen as

I still live in the same apartment that I grew up in, and, while my parents have tried to give me as much as possible, much of the expenses I have for school and living are money that I have made at my job. I am the first child in my family to graduate college, and in doing so I have inspired my younger brother who will soon by attending a four year university as well. Currently, my father works two jobs as a janitor and as a factory worker, and my mother cleans homes, and much of the financial compensation they receive goes towards paying rent and food. This scholarship will alleviate much of the financial burden that myself and my family members currently face. I, once again, would like to reiterate the honor I feel in receiving this scholarship and how my education has been one of the saving aspects of my