“I applied for the Dream Act and I know it will help me in my future. I want to grow up and be a cosmetologist for famous people.” As I interviewed a fellow dreamer, my best friend, Andrea Ortiz, it was touching to hear how she and her mom have hope for the future. “We think the Dream Act can
help us get far,” Jessica Elpadaro, Andrea’s mother, said. “I only want the best for my kids, and hopefully the Dream Act helps them and makes them feel safe here and feel like they were born in these lands. [B]eing undocumented shouldn’t be an obstacle to keep you from succeeding in life.” People
like Andrea and her mom encourage me to not give up, because we want a future!

I read an article on college.com called “How Do You
Feel About The Dream Act?” which made me think. There
was this guy named Marion, a citizen, who commented saying he supported the Federal Dream Act. He said that this bill
is great because undocumented people may have been brought here without a say in the decision and it is not their fault. He believes that it is a fair bill, because it’s not granting the children’s citizenship immediately, it’s only giving them a window for them to prove they are deserving of receiving legal status. He also stated that he is a proud citizen but he would
just like to see things happen that would for once benefit humanity and be value-based as opposed to party-based. In which he means that he just wants humanity to be improved by how humans work to achieve new great things instead of the state to have control of all the actions. This, to me, shows how even non-immigrant citizens think about undocumented people.

[pullquote_left]“We think the Dream Act can
help us get far,” Jessica Elpadaro, Andrea’s mother, said. “I only want the best for my kids, and hopefully the Dream Act helps them and makes them feel safe here and feel like they were born in these lands. [B]eing undocumented shouldn’t be an obstacle to keep you from succeeding in life.”[/pullquote_left]

I am in favor of the Dream Act, but I can also understand the other side. According to a study from the University of South Alabama, some argued that if you were to read the Constitution, we would see that it states the rights of the people and how they work. They say
that just by coming here without documents, an individual commit- ted a crime and are illegal in this country. I’ve also heard people say that undocumented people get assistance from the government that is unnecessary. They say the Dream Act is only money wasted on undocumented people in which could have been used for other things like education. I can see where they’re coming from, since I think education is really important, but let’s remember that an “illegal person” can have a huge positive impact on something, they can change
 our society! Also, in my opinion,
 I don’t see why people that mean no harm to our society should not be given a chance to live here and have a better life because of the misperception of a few. Not all undocumented people bring danger to the U.S.

I remember one time in my life when my dad looked at my grades and said, “I am very proud of you! I am so glad that you are working hard to have a great future and I know you are going to get very far in life.” On that day, I realized I had to keep on giving my best and I am! I won’t give up because I have a dream and believe that all my hard work will pay off. So if you are reading this and you are undocumented, remember to not give up, have hope and confidence in yourself. If you were born in the United States, try to go to college and encourage other people. I was not born here, but this is my home!

Tags: immigration, spotlight, undocumented