1st Generation, DACA Recipient & a The Dream.US Scholar - Fighting Barriers toward Medical School
My name is Luis Alberto Hernandez Campos, a 22-year-old first-generation immigrant from Veracruz, Mexico living in the sunny desert of Arizona. The story of my ancestors and the culture of my home country is a foreign concept to my upbringing. At one year of age, I was brought to the United States by my parents on their quest to break the generational cycle of constant poverty in their home country. Not only did they lack the financial means to fulfill their own goals and aspirations, but they lacked the support to provide for their newly developing family. For generations, my ancestors focused on hard labor to maintain financial stability within their homes, diverging focus from pursuing higher education. My father worked out in the fields and my mother helped my grandma sell goods from home to home. The little money they made went to purchasing basic necessities to survive. I grew up listening to stories of them wearing the same pair of shoes for years on end or my parents’ planning dates and not being able to afford going to a restaurant. Even before being conceived into this world both of their fates were predetermined, succumbing to a reality with little opportunity and a slim chance at prosperity. Never in their wildest dreams would they have imagined their current accomplishments, and I owe my devotion to my education to their unstoppable resilience.
For the entirety of my life, I have been continually confronted with political issues related to my citizenship status. My adolescence revolved around the controversial debate of deportation of undocumented immigrants. While my classmates had the opportunity to explore the endless terrain of our country, I longed for the possibility of leaving the four walls of my room. These four walls ultimately defined my reality, my state of mind and represented years of psychological and emotional damage. My childhood was taken from me. It was obligatory that I mature at an exceptionally fast rate to acquire pure independence, never having the privilege of relying on others for guidance. Although I am beyond grateful to be a current beneficiary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, the reality was that for the entirety of childhood I identified as an undocumented immigrant.
Once acquiring DACA status, I gained a new perspective with the privilege of a social security, driver’s license and the ability to work. For a while, my life seemed normal for a change. It wasn’t until senior year in high school that I began to realize my status would begin to limit my opportunities in pursuing higher education. Throughout this time, I excelled academically, obtaining the highest scores possible, participating in multiple extracurricular activities and volunteering within my community. However, as a DACA student I would not qualify for in-state tuition and was barred from receiving any scholarships from public institutions. I recall being very naive about the entire process. One thing I knew for certain was that I was destined to continue my education and had high ambitions of admission to medical school in the future. The summer after graduation, I recall entering a catastrophic breakdown as I explained to my parents the path of financial burden I was about to put them through.
Shortly after, I received notice of my acceptance as a scholarship recipient for The Dream.US National Scholarship. This opportunity has completely changed the trajectory of my life for the better, eradicating most financial concerns and providing an opportunity to strictly focus on my studies. Yet, the reality of the situation is that not all undocumented and DACA students have received the same opportunities as I have. I continued my involvement by working as a Student Specialist within DREAMzone at ASU, an on-campus resource to support undocumented, DACA, and mixed status family students. Through this experience I became aware of the financial struggles they continued to face, along with many other concerns. The financial component of higher education limited opportunities, many individuals coming from low-income families. I soon became immersed with different organizations on campus and within the community, becoming a connection and network opportunity for these groups to collaborate or share known resources. Most importantly, I have had the privilege of making a difference in these student’s lives and have helped many overcome their own challenges as they pursue a college degree.
However, this endless battle continues to persist. As I officially become an Alumni from Arizona State University and receive a Bachelor’s in Biological Sciences (Genetics, Cell, and Developmental Biology), my narrative will continue to face barriers as I pursue my greatest dream of becoming a physician. As a DACA recipient, I am once again faced with limited resources and automatically become at a disadvantage compared to my peers. Throughout the entirety of my life, I have always been a minority and have never seen myself represented among successful individuals. Regardless of these challenges, one thing will always remain certain. The DACA/undocumented community will continue to persist as we all strive for success in a country of endless opportunity. My personal narrative does not end here, this is only the beginning.
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