Gaby was brought to this country from Ecuador at age 7. A born leader, Gaby has served as president of the student government as well as for the statewide Junior Community College Student Government Association. In her high school, Gaby was the highest ranked Junior ROTC student and scored highest on the military’s vocational aptitude test. The Air Force tried to recruit her, but her status prevented her from serving. She is a founder of Students Working for Equal Rights (SWER), an organization advocating on behalf of undocumented youth. Read Gaby’s story in her own words below, in a letter she wrote to President Obama.
Editor’s note: With Congress coming back into session for a few short weeks, it’s crunch time for the DREAM Act! Help us tell Congress that these young people who were brought to the U.S. as children deserve a chance to give back to the U.S. – their home – through their hard work, service, and dedication!
Tell Congress: it’s time to pass the DREAM Act.
— Jackie
The “DREAM Now Series: Letters to Barack Obama” is a social media campaign that launched Monday, July 19, to underscore the urgent need to pass the DREAM Act.
Dear Mr. President,
I am a member of the first graduating class of Felix Varela Senior High which is located in Miami, Florida. I had attended school with my native-born friends. Like them, I participated in activities, field trips, dances, and felt the pain of losing a classmate.
It was around 10th grade that I realized my future after high school would not be the same as those of my peers even though I worked just as hard to obtain excellent grades. I understood that I was different. For over ten years I had been in hiding. For days I thought about coming out of the closet. I wanted to tell the whole world who I really was. I thought, “How would this affect the relationships with my friends?” “How would I be judged?” “How will my parents be affected?” I thought about it day and night, hoping that someone would help and wondering about the others, like me, out there.
