Translator: Maria Piskiouli Reviewer: Ariana Bleau Lugo
Good morning!
My name is Daniela Fraga and I am a North High School student.
As you all have noticed already, English is not my first language.
I was born and raised in Ecuador until I was 15 years old.
At this age, my mother decided to immigrate to the United States.
She was looking for a better life for her two daughters.
We knew that the only way to accomplish this was to get a good education.
Because, if you think about it,
if you want to cure a disease, you need a doctor,
if you want to fight injustice, you need a lawyer,
therefore, if you want a better world, you need well-educated people.
I grew up with this idea since I was little.
My mother used to say all the time:
"Daniela, if you want things to change, you have to be the change.
And for this, you need to go to school."
But, going back to my story,
we arrived to Hudson, Massachusetts, with a dream in our hands.
That's a picture of the first snowman my family ever built in our life.
We were so excited, but even though snow was a lot of fun,
we had to face a lot of challenges that tested our courage.
Some of them were even having food, shelter, or a job to sustain ourselves.
The first months, we were living in a bedroom,
and this bedroom used to have a window, of course,
but this window used to have a hole
and a cold breeze welcomed itself every single night.
It was so cold!
We tried to cover it, but it didn't really work.
It was so cold, and we just had a few blankets
that we had to tangle around each other to stay warm.
Even though nothing was going as expected,
we never let our dream die.
My sister and I were really determined
not to let the harsh situations kill our dream.
Since we arrived in America, we had a great opportunity,
and this opportunity was to go to school.
We were going to be able to graduate from high school
and maybe one day move into the major leagues.
This was able to happen thanks to a law established in 1982 that says:
"Undocumented children and young adults have the same right to attend
a public primary and secondary education
as do U.S. citizens and permanent residents."
And why is this relevant?
Because for me, justice means that every single kid in this world
regardless of gender, religion, race or the immigration status
has the same opportunity to access a good education.
Justice, for me, means that every single person in this world
has the same opportunity to succeed in life.
If it weren't for this law,
my sister and I would have never been able to access it,
to pursue a high school diploma.
I am so grateful that this country, built up from immigrants
since the day Christopher Columbus arrived to the New World,
understands that to stay on top of the game,
has to educate its young minds.
In my school, I am able to take all the courses as my classmates.
I am even able to take advanced placement courses
that for a passing score will give you college credit.
I wake up every single morning, and I thank for this opportunity
because this is amazing.
One of the characters, Albus Dumbledore, from my favorite book, once said:
"We must all face the time
when we have to choose between what is right and what it easy."
And my sister and I chose to stay in school because it's right.
Even though we knew that moving to the workforce was an easier decision;
because, as undocumented immigrants,
we were never going to be able to access financial aid,
therefore, college was just an impossible dream.
Luckily, during this long trip,
we met an angel that changed our lives and allowed us to get our green cards.
We now have a beautiful family.
My sister graduated from high school
and now is part of the University of Massachusetts.
And I look forward to accompanying her in this long journey and adventure.
At this age, I think I want to become a mechanical engineer,
but to be honest with you,
I don't really know what the future is awaiting for me,
but what I know is that I am going to make the best out of it,
and I am going to repay this investment that they had done in my education.
Thank you!
(Applause)