Dreamer Story 2

I was born in a remote town in Veracruz, Mexico. Ciudad Isla to be exact. According to my birth certificate it was on the 24th of March at 10:00 pm approximately. From the start I had no intention of giving up — or so my mother tells me — I wasn’t meant to be possible. I was later brought to the U.S. when I was only two years old as Mama and Pa wanted a better life for me. Mother had suffered at the hands of a “machista” culture in Mexico and at the hands of Papa. She thought the best route for a better life was to come here, the land of hope and promise, a land of prosperity and abundance, under God and indivisible. Mama fought for our lives; her children were her hope and she would not let them be harmed, she would not let our story end in Mexico. Mama still suffered abuse by Pa during her years in the U.S.; she still persevered in spite of this and worked hard to give me a future, an education, and the love only a mother could give.

I went to Academy of Accelerated Learning and was top in my class. I participated in the city-wide Martin Luther King Jr. essay contest in second grade and performed on the piano for my whole school. Mama could never make it to any of my rehearsals or performances, she could never go to a field trip with me, we could never pick apples in the fall together or go to the zoo and watch the stripes of the zebra or the grandeur of the elephant. Mama was working for me. I held this absence against her for years, but then I realized what Mama did was not out of selfishness, she sacrificed so much for my sake.

In 2010, Papa wanted to go back to Mexico and he threatened Mama that she needed to leave with him or else he would take my little sister and me with him and she would never hear of her children again. Of course, as any mother would, she left for us. In later years after a separation and the corruption of the Mexican government, we were forced to leave our home once again. Papa had left and abused mom frequently. Papa was violent with Ma and us. Mama would try to protect me; she received the beatings in place of me. Mama wanted to come back and restart a new life.

In 2014, we crossed the border once again. My sister was a citizen, so she went on plane. Mama and I had to cross through the border wall. We slept together under a bridge in the coldness of the desert for a night. We waited until it was the right chance and we were able to arrive in Milwaukee, WI once again. Mama had crossed first; I was detained by border patrol and separated from Ma. The officer pointed a gun to my face and asked who I was. I was only 13 years old; I was scared and nervous. Mama wasn’t there to protect me, she was far away. I learned that day to fend for myself. I was later released on the Mexican side and was brought by the coyote and the cartel from the government. I was valued at $15,000 pesos or roughly at the time, $1,200 dollars. Mama prayed that night offering God everything in exchange for my safe passage the next morning. I was reunited with her the next day as I crossed successfully.

After that, I was able to attend Bay View Middle and High School. At the time they had undertaken the task of being both a high school and middle school. I was in my last year of middle school when I had arrived but managed to retain all my English skills throughout the years and was later put in advanced placement classes. I was ahead of most of my class and was student of the month for some time. I later went to MC2 in downtown Milwaukee, Third Ward to be specific. There I excelled in my studies, receiving honors and certificates. I can’t quite remember the contents of these, but I appreciated them. After a year in MC2, I went to a boarding school in Columbus, WI. Wisconsin Academy (WA) was the name; there I learned discipline and independence. It was a year of self-discovery and spirituality where I came to be closer to God and my faith. After a year there I finished my high school years in Carmen High School of Science in Technology where I was able to graduate with honors. I took 5 AP classes and was able to pass all of them with a 4 or 5. Through these most recent years I was able to become more involved with my community. I am part of the church, House of God, and there I am the leader of audio-visuals, leader of the youth, translator, and I also teach on Sundays.

My stepdad left two years ago, and Mama was devastated. He had done something I rather not speak of. I actually left WA for the sake of supporting Mom. I worked throughout all these years supporting Mama with whatever I could. After my graduation I was able to attend Marquette University where I currently reside. Thankfully I was able to be a part of a scholarship called All-In Milwaukee that decided to invest in me. I currently am a Biomedical Science major but I’m still exploring my options. I need add that Marquette has been supportive in many ways and that I am passionate about this school. Even though I am a minority here, I believe I can make an impact throughout my stay here and when I leave. God knows my purpose and I wish to live it out in the future. Anyways, that is a small part of my story. Thanks for taking the time to read this, for “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams” – Eleanor Roosevelt.

 

Sincerely,

A Dreamer

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