Camilla Bortolleto
Although it was difficult, I was able to receive private scholarships to attend Western CT State University and graduated in 2010 summa cum laude with a Biology degree. As I walked across that graduation stage I had no idea what the future would hold for me. The only hope for me seemed to be the passage of the Federal DREAM Act, which came up for a vote a few months after graduation. My sister and I made the trip to DC to see firsthand what we hoped would be the passage of legislation that would give us a path to US Citizenship. I was in DC with my fellow immigrant youth advocating for its passage, when I watched the vote fail before my eyes. It felt like the only hope I had was gone. But I did not give up, I kept fighting and in 2012 we won—President Obama announced DACA. Suddenly everything changed. After 2 years of having a college diploma, being undocumented and being unable to work, with DACA I was finally able to take some steps forward in my life. My life no longer felt like a state of limbo. I am back in DC again, this time working for United We Dream helping to implement DACA, so other youth can also achieve their dreams.