Maria’s story - Daca Series

I first applied for DACA in 2013.

I had finished college and paid for it all by working at the same time so I graduated without any debt. I knew I wanted to pursue a doctorate but it was impossible at that time. Not until DACA happened did I think I could ever pursue that dream. Once I was approved for DACA in 2013, I applied and was accepted into a doctoral program. The doctoral program was a five year program so I had to renew four times since 2013. It was very stressful to renew and not be certain that my DACA status would be extended. When President Trump cancelled DACA, I did not know what was going to happen. I feel very fortunate to live in California because California submitted an injunction for my DACA status to remain. In addition, I had to apply every year of my doctoral program for private student loans since I did not qualify for federal loans. I needed to get a co-signer who would meet all the requirements for each loan and that was always a major stressor. There were so many requirements for me and the co-signer. The last year I applied for private loans was the most challenging. The Trump Administration made the requirements so much more difficult for the co-signer. I remember it was the day of my comprehensive exams and I received an email saying that my application was (once again) denied. I remember having such a hard time concentrating on my comp exam because of that email. That stress was of course on top of the stress caused by knowing that once I got the loan, it started accruing interest immediately (unlike federal loans which were deferred until graduation). It was very stressful to think about how I would pay back all that money.

I think the mental and psychological burden of wondering what is going to happen tomorrow is the most challenging thing for me and my family. Knowing this is not permanent, that all DACA does is defer my deportation and leave it up to someone else's discretion. We want something official and permanent that would grant the path to legalization so we can basically be able to work and live life and not worry about being arrested for doing nothing wrong. I really hope something does happen. Those who are receiving DACA go through rigorous background checks and are upstanding people who simply want to work and live in the United States. This is our country and the place that we call home and yet we feel foreign here. Everything we do is for the betterment of our country, the United States.

Maria, psychologist and DACA recipient