âI came to America when I was six years old. Mom said she brought us here so that weâd have opportunities in life. She said that back in the Bahamas, itâs only the âhavesâ and the âhave nots.â She wanted us to have more choices. But I donât think she fully understood how things work here. She was a news reporter back in the Bahamas. But the only job she could get here was taking care of oldpeople. My dad could only work construction. We moved to four different states just so they could find work. They always told me, âJust study hard in school and everything will work out fine.â So that was my plan. I got all Aâs up until the 11th gradeâ except for one B in math. My goal was to get top twenty in my class, then go to college, then get a degree, and then get a job. I realized the truth my senior year. My guidance counselor told me I couldnât get a loan. I couldnât get financial aid. Even if I could find a way to pay for school, I probably couldnât get a job. I felt so mad at everyone. There were some kids who completely slacked off in school, but even they were going to college. I started having panic attacks. My dad told me not to worry. He called me a âdoubting Peter.â He invited all his friends over to a fish fry to help raise money. And he did get $3,000. But that wasnât enough. So I searched really hard on the Internet and found the Dream.us scholarship. My mom was so excited when I got it. Theyâre paying for me to go to Queens College. Now my momâs really scared again because DACA got revoked. Sheâs crying all the time at work. I try to tell her that no matter what happens, weâre not going to die. We just might have to start over.â
pixelskylines
theartofmadeline
snowghoul
