Your name is Karen.
You are a first-generation college student. Your parents immigrated from Mexico.
You have never voted. You only know about how the American political process works in theory because of history class, and your parents are entirely unfamiliar and aren’t able to help you. You are electing a new president this year and one of the candidates, Smith, wants to deport illegal immigrants. This would
endanger your family because your parents haven’t yet secured citizenship papers. This would endanger the entire community you grew up in: tios that looked after you, abuelas that fed you. According to the polls and hearsay, it will be an extremely close election in your state and every vote counts.
You attend the same college as your best friend Sam who is actively involved with Immigrant Advocacy Group, a student-run organization that provides resources to and spreads awareness about immigration and naturalization hurdles.
Lately, your friendship has been strained because you keep agreeing to help with Immigrant Advocacy Group events but missing them. Your school is cutting funding for Immigrant Advocacy Group this year so the organization has to raise money on its own. You really want to help out, knowing that this is a very personal cause for both you and Sam; you are both Latina and immigrant parents. But it’s different. Sam’s parents have been in the states for longer, have green cards, and are working well-paying jobs. Sam’s family isn’t at risk for deportation or in need of money. Sam doesn’t work a part-time job; she can focus on studies and student activities and still have leisure time.
You are in your last year of school and are stressed about finding a job that is close to your parents’ home in Southern California but pays well enough so that you can support your younger sisters who are also still in school. Your parents both work minimum wage jobs that pay under the table because they don’t have citizenship.
They’re counting on you to bring in a reliable income in the future because they invested their entire savings in your college education and your sisters want to go to college too. You already work a part-time job now and rarely have time to travel for interviews, so you rely on on-campus interviews. You have an on-campus interview scheduled at noon today with a small company called GoodCo that seems to fit the bill: located just outside of LA and pays well. They are only hiring for one entry-level employee so it will be extremely competitive.
[[Start your day]]