My Name is "Jane Doe" and I am Undocumented

October 24, 2007.  That was the last time I cried.  My fellow undocumented students and I know all to well what that day brought us.  For some it brought fear, hopelessness and disappointment.  For others it brought anger and resentment. But for many more, including myself, it was just another obstacle in our already difficult lives.  We knew that someday we will receive the justice we have been seeking all our lives; we just have to wait a little longer.

That day in October, the DREAM Act fell eight votes shy of cloture.  With those eight votes the legislation would have given qualified undocumented individuals a chance for their lives to be debated before the Senate.  However, it was not so; we were back at square one.

My name is "Jane" and this is my [un]documented story.

Summer 1990.  The time I first came to the United States. I was just five years old.  My stay was only supposed to be for a month, however, the tension in the Balkan region where I lived, had grown worse and a war broke out in then Yugoslavia.  My birth country, Croatia, was trying to gain independence from Yugoslavia and succeeded in 1991.  I was not allowed to go back during this time, so I ended up starting school in the U.S.  The following year I was given the green light to return back to Croatia and even though it was now independent, there was still fighting going on.

Life there was extremely different from the two years I experienced here in the U.S.  In Croatia we didn't have water, electricity, heat, clothes were hand-me-downs and food was there, but not enough.  America was filled with those luxuries and I longed for the day that I would either come back, or that Croatia would miraculously change into the U.S.  The latter, I learned, was almost, if not entirely, impossible.

Since fighting continued throughout the Balkan region, my family and I would go to bed listening to planes fly over our house fearing they were carrying bombs.  We would hear gun shots in the distance while we prayed for my father's safe return home from the war.

As time went by life became better, the fighting ceased, but the quality of life was no where near the one I experienced while in the U.S.  In 1995 I was given another opportunity to come back to America.  My parents jumped at this opportunity and sent me away to live with my relatives once again.  This time, however, I was not accompanied by anyone; no parents, siblings or relatives to hold my hand as I flew over the enormous Atlantic Ocean.  I was 10 years old at the time and had no idea I was a few months away from becoming an undocumented immigrant.

1999-2003. My tourist visa expired 6 months after I came here.  I did not know of this until I went to obtain my driver's license.  My aunt told me that I was undocumented and thus could not do one of the most, if not the most important things, a normal 16 year old looked forward to.  It turns out my aunt had consulted a lawyer who told her that I could not adjust my status until I turned 18.  A year before my 18^th birthday, my aunt went to another lawyer and this one told her that the previous lawyer lied to her and that I had no way of adjusting my status unless I left the country.  We decided it was not the best thing for me to do because there was a very small possibility I would be given another visa to come back here since I had overstayed my previous one.

Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I became extremely involved during my high school career.  I was in the church choir and ministries; I was in many school clubs and organizations including the National Honor Society; I played the piano and was active in four different sports.  With all those activities I still managed to graduate with a 3.75 GPA.

At the end of high school came time to apply for colleges.  I thought that because of my status I would not be able to go, but to my surprise I was accepted to three universities.  Even though I finally chose to go one of the universities, I was hesitant to leave home and be "on my own" for the first time since I left Croatia, especially being undocumented.

2003-2007.  My work ethic in college resembled that of high school.  I was involved in school organizations, volunteered countless hours and was even an officer of a service fraternity.  I did well on tests and passed all my classes.  But more important than anything was that I finally opened up to a few close friends about my situation.  It was such a relief to finally "come out" to people one can trust.  They finally understood why I gave them excuses of not driving, going out with them, studying abroad and traveling.  However, they could never understand what it really felt like because they already had those luxuries and have never lived without them.

In May 2007, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Cum Laude honors.  My mother, who had visited only twice after I moved here, had come to see me graduate.  It was a proud moment for everyone, but now what?  While all my friends received amazing job offers, I was stuck with a degree I couldn't use.  I felt like all the hard work and money invested was a waste, but I quickly changed my mentality and decided to enroll in a certificate program in statistics, since I expressed an interest in it during my undergraduate years.

2007-Present.  I completed my Certificate in Statistics and enjoyed it so much I decided to pursue it further; thus I applied to graduate school.  I was accepted and am currently enrolled in a Masters program in Applied Statistics with a 4.0 GPA.  I also found an unpaid internship as a business assistant, which allows me to expand my knowledge even further.

My story is not that different from many other 24 year olds.  The only difference is that I accomplished all those things without that important piece of paper.  My fellow peers and I have been living here most of our lives.  We are American in every sense of the word.  We have accomplished great things even with the difficult obstacles we face everyday.  Imagine what we could do if granted legal residency.  We could become doctors, nurses, engineers, scientists, teachers, etc.  Many of us have the degrees, but do not have a way of using them.  And many want to serve this country but are not able to join the military.

The DREAM Act will allow for us to become contributing members of American society.  We already contribute through our volunteering and work, but we could do so even more with the passage of the DREAM Act.

Please support our cause and let October 24, 2007 be the last time we DREAMers are faced with disappointment.