Eight years ago, I was living every college graduate’s nightmare: After spending so much time and money studying health science at Hillsborough Community College, I was stuck making minimum wage as a manager at a local shoe store. As an undocumented immigrant without a work permit, I didn’t have many other options.
Yet in 2012, my life changed for the better. That’s when a government program was created that gives young immigrants like me who came to the United States as children the legal right to work and live here without fear of deportation. Suddenly, I had a way to build a better life for myself. I received a Social Security number, which allowed me to get a driver’s license and apply for the kinds of jobs that let me use my education and give back in meaningful ways (and receive health insurance). Now I’m the lead organizer for Faith in Florida, a faith-based community organizing group in Tampa.
