#dacamented

Kayla Castellanos is a DREAMER who is using the power of her story to transform our community. Her bravery is cultivating empathy and understanding, where many people are using their platform to tell a single story about the undocumented community.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in her talk, “The Danger of a Single Story,” says, “The consequence of the single story is that it robs people of dignity. It makes our recognition of our equal humanity difficult and it emphasizes that we are different rather than how we are similar.”

Hello! I have something to tell you all--I am a DACAmented student. 

What does this mean? I am an undocumented immigrant who has temporary protection from deportation under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program created via executive order under the Obama administration. 

I was brought to the country illegally when I was a year old and have spent the past 17 years of my life trying to navigate through the uncertainty that is living without papers. For 17 years I have been in the dark, trembling in fear whenever I saw a police car and working my hardest in school even when a professional career seemed unreachable to me. 

Applying to colleges has taught me that there is a large support system out there for students like myself. The numerous people who have guided me through the college application process have helped me realize that being DACAmented is not something that I have to hide or be ashamed of. It is not my fault that I was brought to the US illegally, and I am no less American than someone who was born here. The United States is my home. 

I don’t know how long this protection will last but I will use every moment of my time here to learn, better myself, and pursue my dreams. 

Over the past five years, DACA has provided 800,000 immigrant youth protection from deportation, the opportunity for higher education and jobs, and more stability to our communities. See how many DACAmented youth are in your community then demand that your members of Congress stand up to Trump and secure the futures of DACA recipients with a legislative fix.

"The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God."