Please Meet Ed

This month, I want you to meet Ed from Las Vegas. His story is very Unique and Inspiring. I asked him to put it in his own words:

" I came to America at a very young age. Being from a third world country, everything I experienced in America; I was overjoyed. There were so many different cultures coming into one place. It was all new to me. I studied hard and got good grades throughout high school. I found interest in film, sports, writing, poetry and music. Although what I failed to realize was how severe my undocumented status was. This led me to being interested in the process of our government. In a way I was disappointed in myself, here I was an undocumented student, being in the country for almost 19 years.

It wasn’t until my 12^th year in an America; a sophomore in high school, did I even begin to show interest in my status. As a kid, I always thought it would get taken care of. I guess it was normal, for kids to feel that way. Most of us have parents or someone who will always be there through our adolescence. That was always the case with me. Although, I was always a kid that was fine with being on my own and breaking away from the high school stereotype. This was due to the fact, that I was already anticipating my life after high school and how it would differ from the rest of my peers. As negative as my situation is, one of the most positive things to come out of it was my general perception of life. I no longer cared about the materialistic things in life or what people wore or what they did. Did I care about if my clothes were better than theirs? Not really, I just cared on trying to better myself. It has been a long struggle and a lot of disappointment after high school.

I am now more focused on getting a degree in the medical field. While working at a local restaurant as a cook, to make sure I pay for my tuition and monthly expenses. It is a hard task, especially when I have to wake up two and a half hours before work just so I can catch the bus.

Gabe asked me why I rock? My answer is; I don’t rock, unless if it’s with others. In the same sense of a band, passing the Dream Act is a group effort and we need every single person to participate and show passion for it.

John Lennon once said ““A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.”

Throughout high school, I always had the passion for writing poetry. It was nothing along the lines of Shakespeare or even Edgar Allen Poe. As I am sure I will never be as a great as them, but I would say a little more contemporary, and more so like a song, as I was always obsessed with having my poems rhyme. I consider it creative writing that rhymes with unconventional sentence structure. Here is a poem written by me and how I have been feeling about being undocumented.

As I stare into space/

A name with no face/

A place, I want to call home/

Something, anything, I don’t want to be alone/

The world that I live in, is what I didn’t expect/

But I take it in stride, focus on what’s next/

Perplexed, on why I’ve been underachieving/

Because if you look at my past, you wouldn’t believe it/

That’s not an arrogant statement, it’s a picture I paint/

A stroke from my canvas, an artist disdained/

Every day I wake up, working minimum wage/,

I put a smile on my face, minimum dismay/

Being cautious, living life in the shallow/

A person in the back, just a mere shadow/

I could of gone many places, complacent/

But I’m left with a feeling so vacant/

It’s like playing catch-up, but suddenly my heart beats slow/

Everything’s flashing by, disappointment replaces ego/

I just want to succeed, I told god this/

Don’t place the burden on me, I am not it/

He probably thought I was strong enough to push through/

If I am, please just give me a clue/

I am at a loss for words, and everybody else wins/

I’m a patient man, but damn, it’s running real thin/

Despite the fact, I’ve been kicked and pushed/

Got off my back, with the will to move/

It’s ok to cuss and scream, “I’ve had it”/

I only look to progress, trying to kick the habit/

It’s crazy, this life we live/

How you can turn to negative to positive/

Through the anger and being depressed/

Made great friends in the same situation, that I would never second guess/

So if my light at the end of the tunnel is a little late/

I guess I can I blame it on one thing; Fate/ "

Please meet Ju

I first met Ju during an immigration rally, back in January (the day after Obama's inaguration). We had initially started talking online at DAP, and he was interested in joining the efforts of the rally. Although we'd never seen each other face to face, I felt a great respect for this young man as we marched side by side. Ju screaming "si se puede" in flawless Spanish.

Ju is from Korea. He was brought here (along with his sister) at a young age by his single mother, to escape the financial crisis of South Korea. He is a tall and lanky young man, with a deep voice and a mischievous grin. And although he seems jovial and goofy, one look into his eyes will tell you that this young man of 20 carries a great weight and sadness.

The more time I've spent with Ju the more i get to see how tenacious and focused he is. He set his mind on becoming the Student Body President of his college, and he was elected. Recently he was chosen for a very competitive undocumented student internship. He goes to school full time, and yet finds ways to make time to advocate for undocumented youth. Not long ago he told his story to Speaker Nancy Pelosis's aides and staff.

What amazes me most about Ju is his selflessness. On the drive back from a recent outing to Stanford, Ju told me the story of how he began to cry as he told his story in the offices of Pelosi. He said he was so choked up he almost couldn't talk.

"But i had to man, I mean i need to tell my story for those of us who cant."

There was one part of the conversation that stuck with me. Ju was telling me about the other fellow undocumented students who spoke. How some only had one meal a day, of rice and bread and then Ju said, "I am lucky, I can have two meals, even if sometimes I am still hungry."

Please help Ju
Please Help Undocumented Students
Please call your congress people and senators and ask them to pass the DREAM Act.
Not in 2010, Not in 2011 but NOW

Connecting with People

To me one of the best things that have come out of this whole internet "involvement" with DREAM, has been the chance to connect with other fellow undocumented students, and graduates. I have found a close knit group of people from which I can find support, encouragement and relief.

Some i have even met in person, such as Geronimo and Gateway.

This past week I had the fortune of meeting two more of my fellow dreamers. MAGrad and Negrita28. To see and talk to each was a rich and rewarding experience.

Negrita28 i met this Saturday. She is one of the young ones, just a Junior in highschool. She was on a college tour provided by her highschool, and they made a stop at Santa Clara University, where my sister attends. I volunteered my sister to be a tour guide to the 50 or so students, since the University haden't provided them with one. As we walked the campus i got a chance to talk to Negrita28 about her school, plans and interests, and I was amazed at this young lady. At her young age she is commiting herself to higher education despite the barriers placed infront of her. She is clearly the future of America.

MAGrad is one of the most active supporters of the DREAM Act, and she is kinda like a beacon of light in the dark. When we met in Oakland this past Thursday, I hafta admit i was extremely nervous, see MAGrad is an extremely intelligent, articulate and active individual. The perfect representative for DREAM Act.

Our meeting was informal, with some coffee and casual discourse on politics, movies and our ways of dealing with the situation. But I also got alot more, since i could see the intricate network of dedicated students that are working to promote this bill. And although limited by my stoopid work hours, I feel a sense of resposibility towards MAGrad and the Dreamactivist group (among the many others) to do what ever i can to help ease the workload that they have. Because they're working on somthing for all of us.