LAS VEGAS, NEVADA.- At 5 years old, Mayra Silvas came to the United States from Tijuana, Baja California along with her mother and brother. She now understands her mother made the tough decision to give Mayra and her brother a better future in this country. They settled in Las Vegas, Nevada, where they have lived since.

Mayra immediately felt the difference of being in another country as a child. At school, she didn’t understand her classmates and had no one to help her with homework. “It was very difficult because I didn’t have anyone to turn to for help and had to fend for myself,” Mayra said.

“In first grade, I had to move to ‘track’ because I was behind in English and that made me feel really bad” she recalls. At such a young age, Mayra was already facing her first challenge.

Eventually, she learned the language and had no problem assimilating into the American culture.

Her memories of Mexico stem from her family when she played with her cousins and frequently had family gatherings on Sundays. She has only returned to Mexico once, about ten years ago, because of the death of one of her grandparents and has not returned since.

Mayra began looking for work when she was 16 years old because she wanted to keep studying and knew she had to pay for school. She found an opportunity at a McDonald’s restaurant but could not take it because she only had a Taxpayer Identification Number, which was not valid for employment.

That’s when she realized what it meant to be undocumented in the United States. It was another blow. She never spoke to anyone about it, “because you do not know a person’s intentions.”

With her future uncertain, her fear grew because she wouldn’t be able to continue her studies once finishing high school. She also couldn’t apply for financial aid and her family’s resources weren’t enough to cover the cost of school.

But Mayra did not give up. She continued her efforts to go to school. She recalls “When it came time to go to CSN (College of Southern Nevada), I decided to pawn all my jewelry, from my quinceañera, and pay for my first semester. It was a difficult decision but now I see and understand that I did the right thing and I am very happy because I almost decided to stop studying.”

First, she thought about studying journalism but decided on Business Management with an emphasis in Human Resources.

That’s when some news came that would change her life. President Barack Obama halted deportations of young childhood arrivals like Mayra. It was the DACA program, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

However, she took the news with caution because it required her to give all her information to the government. She contemplated the risks.

“If they changed their decision, they could come after me at my home, at school or at work and take me to Mexico where I had not been my whole life,” she said.

She thought about it for several months but finally decided to apply and is now a beneficiary of DACA.

She remembers that before having DACA “a friend was looking for me to work for a company but I couldn’t take the job although I needed it. I also didn’t want her to know I was undocumented.”

“When I received my DACA my friend called me back and I accepted quickly and had an interview on Friday. The following Monday I was working. Everything happened very fast and it was thanks to DACA,” Mayra said.

She’s celebrating four years of employment at FileRight.com this year. FileRight.com is the company that gave her the opportunity to start working and make plans for her future.

Mayra grew within the company and is now the Office Manager. Thanks to her education, she handles various matters related to human resources.

As fate would have it, this job taught her a lot about the immigration system. FileRight.com guides people through the immigration process. It’s also given her a chance to see what immigrants face while applying for immigration benefits.

Mayra’s story reflects what the vast majority of DACA recipients have achieved in this country. Overcoming adversity and pursuing the American dream.

But now the uncertainty has returned because she doesn’t know what’s going to happen with DACA after March 5th. “I think things may get worse from what I’ve seen of the president. This is a great country because of its diversity and richness of cultures. He does not want to see it like that.” she said.

This dreamer says she doesn’t lose hope and trusts that Congress will pass an immigration reform or that they’ll provide a solution for dreamers, “because we did not have the choice to come to this country but I do not think it was something bad.”

Lea esta historia en español, “Desde muy niña aprendió a vencer dificultades y ahora es administradora de empresas“.