Oral History

Sally, 21

Sally was born in Mexico in 1987. When she was two years old, her parents decided to migrate to the U.S. (to be more specific Chicago, Illinois). Her parents decided to migrate to Chicago, because they had heard stories about how Chicago was an city where they would be able to easily find a job and prosper. Once her parents and her arrived at Chicago, her parents soon realized that things wouldn't be so easy. Sally's childhood wasn't an easy one; she has three younger siblings. When they first arrived, they stayed with one of Sally's aunt. They stayed in a small room with one bed. This wasn't a problem when it was only Sally, but once the family started expanding it became a problem because they were too crowded in the small room. Her family then moved to an apartment in Bernard street. They lived there for about nine years. Later on they moved to an apartment on Kimball, where they still currently live. Sally never really experienced or was exposed to immigrant problems, until she was in high school

I Never actually thought of myself as an immigrant, because even though I was born in Mexico, I was too young to remember my life there, and only remember my life here in Chicago. I was two when I arrived at Chicago, now I'm twenty-one, so I have basically lived all of my life here in the United States. I had to become independent at a very young age. I was babysat until I was eleven years old. Once I was eleven my parents thought I was old enough to take care of myself and my younger siblings.

Do you think you were prepared to take on that responsibility?
In a sense I felt like I was prepared to take on that responsibility, because my mom had thought me how to cook and clean through out the years. And kids at this age are glad to get some freedom. At the time I didn't think it would be so difficult to take on this responsibility. But then again, I was still a child. I still needed the support and care of my parents, because like every child, I still wanted to play and have fun. At first it was difficult to take on this responsibility, but as the years passed I became more independent and it became easier for me to handle. but changing subjects a little, my school life up to eight grade was pretty normal and went smoothly without any real problems. I went to school everyday and got very good grades. It wasn't until I was in high school, that I really got exposed to immigration problems. When I got to high school (she attended Roosevelt High School) I started meeting people that had and where having problems because of their immigration status. This started making me more aware of the immigration problems/immigration status in society. And I myself soon afterward started encountering problems because of my immigration status.

When exactly was the moment you realized yo were going to have problems because of your immigration status?

That had to be during my senior year of high school. You know how senior year is the year when students have to apply for colleges and universities. When I talked to the college counselor, I realized that it was going to be more difficult for me to be able to attend college. Not so much because of my grades, but because I wasn't eligible for financial aid. You know how colleges aren't cheap, and this is one of the main reasons many people don't attend college. And yes I know there are many scholarships that immigrants can apply for, but their giving to a limited amount of people. Sadly enough, I wasn't one of them. But I wasn't going to let that stop me from getting an education. I worked and my parents helped me with what they could. But I did have many dreams for my future, that were affected because of this situation.

What were our dreams?

I dreamed of becoming a lawyer or a doctor. I thought, as soon as I finished my career, I'll travel the world and hopefully one day become famous because of the work I've done. I would be wealthy, have a nice home, a couple of cars, a husband, and two kids.

It sounds very similar to what they label as the " American Dream". Do you think your dream falls under this category?

(Stops and thinks for a minute)
Yes, I think it does, in a sense. Many people dream of a life like that. To have a family, money, cars, etc. But this dream can be very difficult to achieve.

Have you given up on your dream then?

Not exactly. I stilled applied for college, as you know, and ended up going to Northeastern for a year. Sadly though, I had to put my education on hold, because I needed to work full time in order to save up money and be able to continue with my studies.

Do you plan to back to college?

Yes, I do. Even though I had to interrupt my studies, I still dream of getting a career and hopefully of some day being able to travel around the world. I plan to major in Political Science, so I hope, that would help me travel one day.

Do you think then, that your immigration status is holding back your dream from being fulfilled?

( Stops again to think. Three minutes pass by.)

In a way it is, because I don't have all the benefits and advantages that citizens have. But in the other hand, I'm not going to let my immigration status get in the way of fulfilling my dream and goals. I have always known what I've wanted, and have always worked hard to accomplish my goals.

One last question. Do you wish you had stayed in Mexico and that it would have been easier to grow up there?

Well it would have been much more easier for me to get the resources I needed to get an education, but I feel that living here as an immigrant gives me the push and drive that makes me want to succeed even more.