#IAmAmerica

“I got here on October 23, 2013. My parents in Mexico always tried their very best to provide for us. We went to a private school in Mexico. We wore two different kinds of uniforms, one for P.E. and one for regular days. Classes were different obviously the language was different. I got here when I was in 5th grade. I remember at the time, my mom did not have any money to get us school supplies. There was this one teacher, Mrs. Brumfield, I don’t know if she bought it out of her own pocket, but she gifted me a backpack full of school supplies. 

What interested me in the STEM field early on was, I think not knowing the language the only thing you can relate to is math. Math is the most universal subject you can ever think of. It’s all numbers, you don’t need a translator. Math was easy for me at first, I enjoyed biology, and I enjoyed all my sciences, it was just easier for me to understand. 

In high school, I took chemistry and at first I hated chemistry. Later I took an Intro to Medical Professions class and learned medical terminology. There was just something about it. I think it was because my mom kept getting sick and I had to go and translate for her at the hospital all the time. At first when I made up my mind that I wanted to go to college, I thought I wanted to be a nurse. I took Fundamentals of Chemistry first, I don’t know if it was the professor but it just came easy. I wanted to learn more.

I remember I made up my mind, I thought I wasn’t going to be able to go to college. I thought I would just be working for my aunt. I think also my aunt telling me I couldn’t go to college and high school and that I should have quit and just work for her, I think somehow I got some strength and I thought I need to do more than that. I enrolled and I applied for a scholarship and it was all very last minute. I got a scholarship and with the amount of money I got I was only able to get one class because of out-of-state tuition. My first class at NWACC was Principles of Biology and I enjoyed it. 

When DACA came around, I could help my parents. I could spend time with my mom. That was a big change. 

DACA represents more than a dream, never would I have imagined sitting here having a Master’s and trying to work to get my Doctorate Degree. It was worth all of the sacrifices and effort that my mom went through for us. Now I’m here. When I graduated, I graduated with a dual degree, one in Chemistry and one in Biology. I told her, these are not mine, these are yours. It represents her work more than anything. I would always ask my mom “Why do you work so much?” I would only get to see her one night a week.

I officially started my Master’s program in Molecular Cell Biology. I’m doing research with the Bio-Chemistry department. Even though my Masters is in biology my main focus and research is in bio-chemistry. ”

Alix

“I am a first generation American who immigrated to the U.S. from India when I was a teenager. I speak Hindi, the national language of India. I can also speak fluent Urdu and limited Kannada which are both regional languages of India. I’m a Muslim and one of the founding members of the local Bentonville Islamic Center. In our family we have a tradition of the new generation exceeding their parents in terms of professional endeavors.

My family believes that the best way to help someone is to empower them through education or through job opportunities so they can be self-sustained and continue to contribute to their communities. We strive to foster close knit family values while being a resource to each other.

We had a poverty like lifestyle in India and coming to U.S., this has been a great adventure for us in our pursuit of happiness. We feel blessed with what we have achieved and we don’t take this opportunity for granted.

My first job when I came to the U.S., I was 15 years old and what motivated me to get a job was that I wanted to contribute in some way financially so I could bring the rest of my family to the U.S. When we first came only three of us came, my mom, me and my older brother. We had the rest of the family back in India and leaving them behind was one of the most painful things I’ve experienced in my life. I started as a dish washer in a local Italian restaurant, making $4.25 an hour, which was minimum wage at that time.

During my high school years, I was working 30+ hours a week, 5 days a week. This included working full-time shifts Friday, Saturday and Sunday and part-time on 2 additional weekdays. For me it wasn’t just about earning money, it was how can I quickly adapt and get acclimated in this country, working helped me do that. When I first came, I couldn’t even speak the language. In fact when I was trying to ask for a job they couldn’t understand what I was saying. It worked out well, that is the one thing that I have no regrets. That was my first job, later I switched to McDonald’s and then followed by Burger King where I stayed for 6 years. After high school they recognized my strengths and they gave me a manager opportunity. I was managing the entire store. That truly helped me see myself in a leadership position to be able to manage a team as a supervisor and having financial responsibility. This also helped me pay for my college while I was going to Purdue University without having to rely on family assistance or take any student loans.

The American Dream is a journey not a destination for me. It’s about living life to our fullest potential. The greatest strength of this country is that it has the best values and system to create opportunity for everyone, especially for immigrants. U.S. is a home for many immigrants who come here in pursuit of happiness and better life. My family also came here for the same reason and we feel blessed to be living our American Dream.”

Zakir

“I’ve been in Northwest Arkansas since mid-2008 and I became a US citizen, after going through the visa and the green card process, on the 5th of February of this year. 

I was working for a company in London, England and a consultancy had approached me about coming here to start a project working with Walmart. I didn’t really know anything about Walmart at all. I brought half of my family, my wife came and my daughter. Here my daughter would be a junior in high school and so she was 17, a tough time to move as a kid. We just had a regular visa, but we had to initiate the green card process pretty quickly because other wise she wouldn’t of had a social security number and therefore she couldn’t have graduated from high school. So, that triggered us to go for the green card. 

Originally, we came here for economic opportunities, essentially for a job, we fell in love with the culture and the values and found ourselves happier here than we’ve been anywhere and we had lived all over the world. I had lived in Ghana, Germany a couple of times, and Spain. This was the place for us, we found our values and our since of belonging were very strong here. So that’s when we started the application process after 5 years of green card for citizen and that’s really our journey.

Particularly it was different, because when I was in the Army, usually when I moved to Germany or I moved to Peralta we were moved by as system. Here, the company I was working for was very small so we were pretty much on our own and we had to work it out. The difference was we didn’t really understand the processes. We thought we spoke the same language, we didn’t. Things meant different things and they called us out a few times. We had no access to credit because we had no credit history. We went from having a mortgage and a relatively stable ability to borrow in the UK to nothing. What cash we had was what we had, that’s why I ended up driving a 1976 Ford F-150 truck, which I’ve still got. That was one big thing, we couldn’t borrow. We didn’t really mind about that we never had a great deal of money in the military. We didn’t mind, but it was kind of irritating was that we were being judged in weird ways. We were looked on as, how could we possibly lend to you, you’re not American, we don’t understand you. The other thing was, the school system was different. My daughter is incredibly adaptable, she’s now at Law School at the U of A, she did well in the system. Initially it was really confusing it’s totally different here. 

Firstly the lack of credit, secondly we didn’t understand so we felt we were letting our daughter down, and the third thing was the health system. In Europe, particularly in the United Kingdom, it was free at the point of service. Most of my family were in medical roles, so I had grown up in a system that no matter how poor you were you could go to hospital and get extremely good care. So here it was very confusing, very expensive and I think that was the biggest cultural shock. Those three things, were the biggest changes, the biggest differences but they were more than balanced by the benefits which we still really appreciate.”

James

“I found a church...that’s where I found hope in my life. God was telling me, ‘Hey, I took you out of this place because I want you to do bigger things with you here.’ Since that day that I stepped into that church, I decided and I told myself that I was going to make it the best year, the last semesters I had in high school. I told myself I was going to graduate with highest honors, that I was going to graduate with the highest GPA I could and make it the best senior year. I graduated from Har-Ber High School with highest honors with a 3.5 GPA and I created new friendships that to this day I am still in contact with them. 

I never explained to anyone [my status]. Everyone just thought I was a citizen.

One of my dream schools was Baylor University. I applied to Baylor and I thought I would just give it a shot. I checked back a few weeks later and I was accepted and I was also given a $10,000 scholarship because of my GPA. During that time we found out about DACA but I also found out I wasn’t able to qualify because, the year I had lived with my dad was the year that they needed to know I was in the United States. 

I kept applying, if Baylor didn’t work, I would have to let that go because it was just going to be too hard living in Waco with no legal status and not knowing the city. It was scary for me. How am I going to drive? Find a job? How is the situation down there in regards to people that are undocumented? I started applying for the UofA and NWACC. I had heard about that college but I never applied. There was a teacher in my school that told me about the LIFE program. I attended that year and it was through them that I was able to find students in the same situation as me. I went with them and they guided me to apply for scholarships and how to get started at NWACC and it’s through them that I am here now. If I didn’t find that guidance through them and my mentors, I don’t know where I would be.

The LIFE program basically opened up opportunities to me. They told me that it was all about involvement and getting to know more people and about networking with leaders in the community. I became a mentor a year later and started mentoring students. I met faculty and staff at NWACC that were rooting for me. They knew our struggle and they wanted to do something about it. 

Through NWACC I was able to apply for scholarships and what they planted in me was leadership and not being afraid of my story.”

Iris, 

“Whenever I was about 10 years old my dad had lost his job in El Salvador. He moved here first, he moved to Houston, Texas for a year and then to Kansas for another year. After two years of us being apart, my mom basically decided to follow my dad and brought all of us to the U.S. 

We just wanted to be back together with my dad. 

Some of the things we first faced was culture shock. You go into a middle school and you have no idea what is going on. Everybody is speaking a language and you have no idea what they are saying. For the first few days I did not want to go to school, I just wanted to stay at home. I remember telling my mom I didn’t want to go to school because I did not understand the language. There was not point of me going to school and just sit in there and listen to something that I had no idea what it was about. They use to make me read books in English and I had no idea what the books were saying. 

I came to the U.S. when I was 12 years old. I would say that by the age of 16, I was a freshman in high school, I started understanding a little bit of English. I remember our class speech freshman year in high school, when I actually had to go up in front of people and do a little speech. I feel that’s when I broke in and actually started to gain a little more confidence. 

[Graduating high school] was what now I consider a gut-check moment. I remember trying to apply for FAFSA and just basically finding out that I did not qualify for FAFSA like many of my friends or many of the people in my class room. It was tough, basically I was on my own. I was the first one out of all of my cousins and all of my family that was going through that and I had nobody to help me out. 

I knew once I got into college I was going to do it. The thing was that I was going to graduate college and then what was I going to do? I couldn’t work. So, I set short-term goals. The first thing that I wanted to do was get my Associate’s degree. I told myself I was going to get my Associate’s degree no matter how long it takes me and from there I’ll see where I am in life. 

I remember when I first heard about DACA, it was about 8am on a Saturday morning. It was a relief, we could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Right when I got DACA, I got my driver’s license and I passed it at the first try. I graduated from NWACC with my Associate’s degree and then I started looking for jobs. I knew I wanted to continue my education and get my Bachelor’s degree. I also knew that I needed the money to pay for my school. I applied for seven jobs and thankfully Walmart called. A month after I got DACA, I started working at Walmart. Everything moved fast, really fast. 

I have finished my Bachelor’s now and I’m half way through my MBA. I’ll be done with my Master’s degree next May from John Brown University. I’m not going to stop learning whenever I get my Master’s. I feel that education is empowering and the more you learn the more you enjoy your life.”

Juan

“My wife worked 8 years in Walmart-Guatemala in Central America and her dream was always to work in the home office of a big company, Walmart being that company. One night we were having dinner in Guatemala and she told me ‘Mauricio, what if I apply for a position at the home office?’ In that moment I was working in MilliCom, which is a huge telecommunications company, and before that I worked 6 years in CitiBank Guatemala, so when she told me that I knew her dream was to work at the home office and build her career. So, I said yes, it’s only an interview. A couple of weeks later, she came home and said they said yes! I said ‘Well, where is this home office? I mean is it in New York, Los Angeles? Where is Walmart?’ and she said ‘No, it’s in Arkansas.’ I thought, Arkansas? Where is Arkansas? So, I said ‘Yes, let’s do it!’

Two years ago, I left my career, my friends, my family to support my wife’s dreams and that is the reason we are living here in Bentonville. Now my wife supports me and my dream. My dream was to open a coffee shop.

I really like [Northwest Arkansas] a lot. It’s multicultural, I Iove that. I’m trying to create a multicultural joining point with 211 Cafe, because that is the magic of the coffee.

My goal is to show off my country, I’m in love with Guatemala. I know my roots and I know where I come from. That is the reason I opened 211 Cafe with Guatemalan coffee and that’s why I plan to stay with Guatemalan coffee. The social part of coffee in Guatemala is really important. You sit down in the coffee shop and talk for hours. I remember when I was a kid, I was doing my homework at my grandpa’s house and at 5pm it is the hour of coffee. They served me two or three sips of coffee and then it was time to talk. That is something really Guatemalan, I imagine it is like that in all of Latin America but here, no. Here it’s ‘I need my coffee.’ ‘I need to go to a meeting.’ ‘I need to run.’

We are expecting our first baby. We named her Sofia not only because we love the name but it’s an easy name in English and Spanish. That’s the kind of things we want to share with our little baby. She needs to know her roots. Our plan is to speak Spanish at home and we will speak English outside. We want to give her two cultures at the same time.”

Mauricio

“It was in May of 2007 when I first came to visit and as soon as I arrived I thought that this was a really pretty place and it was really nice. Everyone that I had met was lovely and I realized there was a great since of community. People have good morals, so I thought this was a great place to be and I felt confident and happy about moving here.

My journey to becoming a U.S. citizen came out of a what felt like a disaster. My green-card was stolen when our vehicle was broken into while on vacation. I had to report the theft of my green-card to USCIS, and that agent pointed out that I was eligible to apply for citizenship.  The only reason I hadn’t naturalized sooner was because I didn’t want to give up my New Zealand citizenship.  It had never been clear to me about whether I could or couldn’t maintain dual citizenship or if I could keep my New Zealand citizenship. I went to the USCIS website and it said in big bold letters on the screen, ‘YOU CAN MAINTAIN DUAL CITIZENSHIP’...if your government is in good standing with our government. We’re not going to force you to give it up, it’s the other country that will force you to give it up. So, then I went to the New Zealand government website and it said you can have dual citizenship if you are in one of the following countries and America was on there. I was like, all right great! I can do this! So, I filed in October, did my biometrics in November and on December 3rd 2015, I did my interview and passed the civic exam and did all that with the immigration officer. I think there is a really big misconception about that as well...there is a base of 100 questions, they only ask you ten questions, and you only have to get 6 of those questions correct.

In late December 2015, I got my letter saying to come to the Fort Smith courthouse in January and on January 18th, I became a citizen.

Becoming a U.S. citizen wasn’t something that I ever thought I would be.  But citizenship, to me, means that I have a voice here now.  America has been a part of me since I decided to move here. Now that I’m a citizen, I’m no longer just a visitor, I am part of America.”

Pip

“All of my family is from Texas. My dad is Mexican-American and my mom is Anglo. My parents met each other in kindergarten. My dad is second generation and I’m third generation. My grandparents on my dad’s side were migrant farm workers through the 50′s and 60′s. My mom’s dad was the only insurance agent in the town, literally on the other side of the train tracks where my dad grew up, where his dad was a factory worker. 

It’s always been a struggle having the last name Rodriguez. It’s always kind of put me in this category, where I think it’s said best in the Selena movie, ‘You have to be more Mexican than the Mexicans and you have to be more American than the Americans.’ So I feel like I constantly have to defend both sides. It’s not been until recently, I’m 29 now, where I feel like I’m starting to settle into who I am more, but it’s still complex.” 

Emily

“I would say freedom, nature, and opportunities are the three reasons I came here.

I just graduated from Northwest Arkansas Community College with an Associate Degree of Applied Science of Graphic Design. I want to be a graphic designer and later hopefully have my own studio to create more graphics and create more beautiful layouts and websites. That’s my goal to have my own business; it’s a long-term goal right now.

My parents are really proud of me because, when they were young they wanted to go to the US to study and to live. They eventually didn’t have a chance because my father worked for the government…they don’t get a chance to travel because he’s always busy. My parents wanted me to achieve their dreams; they want to live in America too. Hopefully one day the whole family could live here as well.

When I think of American Dream I think about, America as an immigration country, we accept any person regardless of race, gender, and what country they came from. I think it’s what freedom is about, it’s a human right to choose where you want to live. I think as American Leaders we can help other people achieve their American Dream.

I want to help them to build more connections, and maybe help them with daily life, and maybe even find a mattress or find a place to live. We can do whatever it is to help. It’s kind of hard starting a life here, when you come here without knowing the language. No matter if they are legal or not, that’s a situation that they cannot choose. I mean, no body wants to leave their home country, and come to a totally different place by themselves. So maybe financial issues, maybe other political issues brought them here, but when they get here, I think I want to help them.”

Stephen

Fayetteville, AR