I didn’t know how to speak English and so it was hard for me to make friends. Even after I started learning, I was ashamed of how “broken” my English was. The cultural assimilation process was much worse for my parents. They were forced to navigate their new home country all on their own, without any formal English education. My mama and papa were young at the time and so they had to grow up quickly for there were no parents to comfort them. They each worked multiple jobs to help us get by. Though they never complained, I know now that they were severely overworked and underpaid. As undocumented Mexican immigrants, they were subjected to exploitation, racial discrimination and dehumanization. And yet, they persevered. By instilling in me the importance of education and the power of diligence, my parents enabled me to become the first in my family to graduate from high school and to be admitted to college. After the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was established in 2012, I was able to drive and work legally, which helped me immensely as I made the transition to college. Most importantly, I was able to live without the constant terror that I could be deported to a country I did not know, and consequently, be separated from my family. I could breathe a bit easier as I sat in class lectures, went to work, drove by police cars, and lived my life.