Bridges of Opportunities

Name: Brenda Huerta Soto

Year: 3rd Year

Major: Double Major in English and Spanish

I’m a third year English major planning to double major in Spanish. I started school before Fall 2015. I was part of HESA which is a summer program that allows first years to take classes before the regular academic year starts. During HESA, I learned with the help of my mentors how to navigate around campus and was provided with opportunities that I could get involved in. However, starting Fall 2015 I still felt that something was missing for me to feel that I belonged in UCR. One day when I went to the Career Center I met Rubyd Olvera who introduced me to Undocumented Student Programs and PODER.

The first time I went to a PODER meeting I knew that I belonged there. I met many people who were going through the same struggles as I was and who were also so passionate to make a change in the community. Their energy and motivation to bring change to the undocumented community empowered me to do the same. I became so passionate to get involved on campus and even outside of campus because of PODER. It all started because these individuals created a safe space that made me want to share my narrative with other folks. I was able to speak about my undocumented narrative in Coming Out of the Shadows in the Bell Tower in front of so many people. Faculty members, students and everybody in the crowd was supportive. It made me realize that I belonged to UCR and that my story mattered.

UCR has helped me find my true identity and the type of person who I aspire to be. When I came to college I knew I was here because I wanted to have a better life. However, throughout the years at UCR I have realized that it’s more than that. I’m at UCR because I want to bring change into my community. I want to bring inclusivity and awareness of the problems happening around us because of white supremacy. UCR has also given me confidence that I can become a writer regardless if I have a social security number or not. I am an undocumented student, many of the students at UCR do not have to worry about not being able to have a job because they have a social security number. They are also able to study abroad and whatever place they go to they do not have to fear being detained by I.C.E. They also have more access to financial aid, scholarships and internships they can apply to. However, even in the undocumented community many students have DACA which means that they have access to more opportunities than those who do not have DACA.

In my case, I had to learn how to navigate and find ways to financially sustain myself through limited internships that do not require a social security number because I do not have DACA. It took me time to cope with the idea that I would never be able to find a job on campus or study abroad like many other students. Even in Undocumented Student Programs I still felt that in many ways my struggle was different from my peers. However, now the community is more aware of those who do not have DACA and are focusing to fight for the 11 million instead of just the 800,000 undocumented immigrants who have DACA. I hope to see a more inclusive world where people do not have to worry about hiding their identity or being attacked by others because of who they are. I hope to see that people of color have the same opportunities as white people. As well as for children to have access to better education regardless of where they come from. I want to see bridges of opportunities instead of walls of oppression and discrimination.

#whotellsyourstory #undocumented #PODER #DACA