The Cal State L.A. Dreamers Resource Center
The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned. - Maya Angelou When you have struggled your entire high school career based on your immigration status, finding a place in which you feel safe can be the pinpoint of a successful college career. As a freshman at the California State University, Los Angeles, it was clear to me that I had to find a safe place within the campus. After searching for several weeks, I stumbled upon the marvelous Erika Glazer Family Dreamers Resource Center and it was then that I realized that my search was over. Just by crossing the door frame, the environment surrounding the center became brighter. The friendly student staff at the moment made me feel welcomed and accepted, a feeling that is hard to obtain in the hostile moments that we are now facing. Now as a sophomore at the university, I feel safer and empower to proceed with my higher education. The Dreamers Center is a place where I have shared laughs and tears, but most importantly, it is the place that I call ‘My Second Home.’ I am not afraid to be myself, instead, I am empowered and persuade to express my opinions and emotions with those surrounding me. I have never been a spokesperson before, I have never shared my story, but the people at the center inspire me to do just that. Everyone at the center refers to each other as family, because that is what we have become. It does not matter what is our legal status, the language we speak, the religions we believe because, at the end of the day, we are all brothers and sisters. We are currently facing one of the hardest time of our lives, and we do not believe that it will be the last. The one thing that we are sure of, is that no matter what we face, we will face it together. The United States administration has made it clear that is does not accept those people that were brought as children, instead, it believes that they are the cause many of the unfortunate events happening in our country. It is important to acknowledge that these people have one country in their minds when it comes to calling home, and that country is the USA.
I am very fortunate to be part of this amazing family, and I will always be thankful to those who have shared their life with me. I am also blessed with the unbreakable bonds that I have made with people who support and attend the Center, and I am sure that together we can accomplish anything we set our minds to. I’d like to persuade you to like them on Facebook and support their mission, it is important that we stay united. I don’t know where I would be if I didn’t have the DRC (Dreamers Resource Center) support throughout my 3 years at CSULA. Much love. – Mayra Rangel
