I wake up in the morning and the sun brushes my face
As I welcome another day full of dreams left to chase
The further you go the prouder we’ll be
Were the words that my parents said to me
I am seventeen years old and an undocumented student at Bioscience High School. I was born in Puebla, Mexico and came to the United States when I was 9 years old. My parents wanted a better future for my siblings and me. A future where we didn’t have to give up education to start earning a living. A future where we could reach our goals and dreams. A future where we didn’t have to live to survive, but a life to live.
With every scrub I gave to the bed-side cabinet, I felt as if the drops of my childhood trickled away as I soon realized just how difficult it is to live a life with hidden identities and unrevealed fear of just one bad circumstance.
For the entirety of my life, I have been continually confronted with political issues related to my citizenship status. My adolescence revolved around the controversial debate of deportation of undocumented immigrants. While my classmates had the opportunity to explore the endless terrain of our country, I longed for the possibility of leaving the four walls of my room.
I’m not making a sound in an effort to not wake up my family. It's 12 a.m .and I should be in bed, I can’t get any sleep. It’s been a rough week for my dad, and I’m helping in the only way I know how to.
I made a commitment to myself to never be ashamed about my status. I made a commitment to speak openly about the immigrant student that I was and the equitable access to education I wanted for myself.
Hello, my name is Darian Benitez Sanchez, I am 18 years old and I am an undocumented student at Brophy College Prep. I was born in Guanajuato, Mexico, and came to the United States at the age of four, in 2007.
My story in this country begins all the way back in September of 2004 when my parents made the decision to cross the border and come into this country. They left everything behind: their lives, family, and friends.
The Arts & Healing workshops are like healing circles and dedicated to people in the immigrant community. Every month there's a new healing topic that inspires an art activity.
Want to be featured on Aliento Voices? Send us your story!
My family is the definition of the American dream. My parents immigrated to the United States to give themselves and their future children a chance at a better life than what they lived. They spent a decade building themselves up.