Evelyn

After being in touch with undocumented student Evelyn, I had the chance to have a little more insight to how she navigates her life given her status. She mostly spoke about her family and what it would mean for her if she were to be separated from them. Evelyn mentioned how she fails to understand how this country could preach family values and then watch administration after administration, both Republican and Democrat, work towards more and more deportations. As Evelyn begins to speak more, her face lights up when she talks about her family. Despite their circumstances, Evelyn says her family and she try to live life ‘in the now’ and appreciate every day she has with her family. She mentions that being undocumented has allowed her to look at the grand scheme of things, as long as she has her family, she knows she is going to be all right. It is something as simple as wanting to be with her family, without living in fear or being torn apart that Evelyn desperately wishes for. She sighs when she says this is the only thing she wants to convey to those who look at immigrants in a questioning way. She wants to reiterate that when people debate immigration policy or praise politicians, that they think about the people being impacted. Evelyn continues to clearly state that it is not easy living with so much uncertainty about her future, but she tries not to get too caught up in the politics of it all. At the end of the day, she says it can be easy to let the news control the way an immigrant lives their life, so she tries to minimize the time she spends contemplating the way politicians will act next and instead work towards being the best version of herself for both her family and her community.