I decide to meet up with my friend Iris at It's A Grind in Bell Gardens for a study session on Veteran's day. Iris is your regular college kid: stressed out about upcoming school projects, religious Radiohead fan and an obsession with over-analizyng everything.
But she is also an undocumented immigrant. Iris came to this country when she was only three years old. She became so Americanized that she started taking Chicano/a Latino/a Studies classes at CSULB to learn more about the culture she missed out during her formative years in this country.
After a few hours of studying, I ask her if I can interview her for a story I'm currently working on. She looks at me a bit bothered because, well, she's studying.
I finally convince her to take a break and she answered the following questions.
Me-What is like to be an undocumented student?
It's very stressful. You always have to figure out how to pay for everything without government financial aid. Fiancially, there are more obstacles.
Since starting school, how have you managed to pay for your tuition?
I've worked very hard to pay for it and save up money. I've also applied for scholarships. I've done office work, I've been a jewelry sales person, cleaned houses, and tutored.
Everyday, when you start your day to go to school, what is the first thing that reminds you that you are an undocumented student?
Driving. You're always spotting out cops. You have to be careful about everything. There's always that fear that some cop will find you when you do a wrong signal. Like today, a cop was following me and I was just trying to think about something else. You always have to be a perfect citizen all the time.
Do you ever think about what you are going to do once you graduate from college?I think about it all the time. I'm in a major that is not necessarily in high demand, so that in itself makes me wonder if the job offers will be there.
Why did you choose sociology as your major?I feel like I can relate to a lot of the issues we discuss in my classes. I took a class on immigration, and it explain the complexity of the issue. It made me see a lot of stuff that I never really considered. It also reinforced some of the things I already knew. I also wanted to inform myself about the way the "system" works.
Have you ever had to pass on a school activity because of your legal situation? When I was in high school, I was offered a free trip to France. And I couldn't go because of my status.
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