Have you ever wondered how you can dream beyond your immigration status? In this interview, Oscar Romero shares:
· His immigration story and lessons learned;
· The way DACA changed his life;
· How he navigated multicultural environments;
· The inspiration for his platform MyUndoculife;
· His vision for cultivating virtual connections.
Can you tell us about your immigration story?
Oscar Romero, Senior Software Engineer and Social Impact Activist
I was born in Mexico City. I grew up there until the age of three. My dad had a job as a part-time electrician, while trying to finish up his high school degree. He struggled to make ends meet with tuition, transportation and general living costs, having a child and a wife. We lived with my grandma. My dad heard from a family friend about an opportunity for farm work in the States. He did that for about three years. He was away for about eight months every year. Then, he thought it made more sense to settle in the States with his family.
I think about it now that I’m about his age when he was making this decision. Leaving your family and friends. They made the decision to go to the U.S. because eight months apart from his newly started family was not worth working in the States just to make ends meet in Mexico. In 1999, my mom and I arrived in the States. We first arrived outside of Chicago and stayed with an aunt who was already established there, while he finished his last work contract in North Carolina. We ended up moving down to North Carolina where I was raised since the age of four. In middle school, I started hearing from the community that undocumented people couldn’t make it past high school, but I didn’t know that the main reason was the cost and lack of funding available for undocumented immigrants.
In 2012, the Obama administration passed an executive order, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to allow people who arrived under the age of 16, pass a criminal background check, and fulfill a few other requirements to have work authorization and a social security number, which is a requirement to get a driver’s license in several states. It’s about a $500 application fee and needs to be renewed every two years. USCIS collects your biometrics amongst several other forms of information and documentation. It’s a very rigorous process to get approved, which is one of the biggest things people fail to realize. It’s gone through some challenges during the Trump administration which tried to rescind it. Most recently, several southern states have joined together to challenge it in court. Additionally, there are also legal fees if you decide to apply and renew with a lawyer. It’s been a journey, and as of January 2023 I was still under DACA and without lawful status. I graduated from UNC-Charlotte in 2017 and I am working as a Senior Software Engineer now. My goal was to have a career that would allow me to be remote, so that I could have the flexibility of being abroad and access to a job in case it came down to having to leave the country or being deported.
What was it like growing up in the United States? Did you overcome any obstacles, such as cultural differences, professional etiquette, or language barriers?
In kindergarten, I had to take English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. I remember late nights with my dad trying to figure out how to do my homework. I couldn’t communicate much in English for the first couple of years. I vividly remember an assignment where I was told to draw my house. I told my teacher that I couldn’t draw my house because I didn’t have a house. My teacher was confused, ‘Why can’t you draw your house? Where do you live?’ ‘I don’t have a house,’ I kept saying. They brought the ESL teacher and he translated, ‘porque no puedes dibujar tu casa?’ It was because I did not live in a ‘casa.’ We were in a traila, a single-wide trailer. It wasn’t a house, a casa. To me, a casa was made of brick and mortar and had two stories. That’s what I would see driving down the road. We lived in a trailer. I had no idea that it was essentially my house.
I went with my parents everywhere as a child, so everything around me was experienced through a Mexican lens. It was difficult when I went to school. People talked about the popular music of the moment. I grew up listening to Vicente Fernandez and other music they did not recognize. It was hard to bond with most of my peers. Meeting more Latinos in middle school helped me find my identity more. I ended up being asked by my non-bilingual teachers to be the translator for new Spanish speaking students. I liked seeing a little bit of my culture that I didn’t normally have in school. Then, I was placed in advanced classes with mostly white kids. Bearing and bridging that culture gap was difficult, but I learned how to be easy going and adaptable from my parents. They adapted to a completely different lifestyle. That set me up for success in high school.
You touched on this earlier. How did DACA impact your life specifically?
When I was 14, I remember the school announcements at the end of the day informing you to stay after school for Driver’s Education courses. I was ready to get my driver’s permit to help my family. North Carolina stopped giving undocumented individuals driving licenses with the REAL ID Act of 2005. My dad still had one from when they still gave them out, but my mom did not. She couldn’t drive without the fear of getting pulled over. It was stressful to be hyper aware of driving within the speed limit, having your license plate up-to-date, and not bringing any attention to yourself or acting suspicious. Seeing cops, blue siren lights, and getting pulled over was a nightmare. Because of this, I saw police officers as the people who would get my parents sent back to Mexico. How would you survive that? I heard stories of resilient immigrant kids who stayed when their parents were deported. That was a constant fear of mine. I am the oldest. I have two younger siblings. I was not gonna be able to take care of them.
In 2012, the DREAM Act failed to pass in Congress. It was supposed to grant a pathway to citizenship for millions. On June 15, 2012, Obama gave a speech announcing DACA. It hit me. I would finally be able to get a social security number. This small action was going to open so many opportunities. I remembered back to when I went to Driver’s Ed and they sent me home with a piece of paper asking for my social security number. I didn’t have one, so I was unable to get a driver’s permit. Once my DACA was approved and with a social security card in hand, I immediately went to the DMV. I no longer had to worry about driving without a license and all the consequences of it. I could drive my mom around to where she needed to go and take my siblings to school.
Having a social security number also allowed me to work. Before that, I was doing odd jobs and getting a few bucks here and there. I ran my own business in high school, but earned very little. Now, I was excited to apply for a real job. In college, I applied to be a Resident Advisor to reduce costs and have some income. I had a full scholarship, but with this new job and stipend, I had extra money to hang out with my friends and buy stuff I needed without stressing my parents. I was also able to open a bank account and get my stipend directly deposited. A lot of things in life became easier with DACA, not just for me, but also for my family. I love the empowerment of making my own money since my parents were living paycheck to paycheck.
Could you see yourself living in another country other than the U.S.?
Yes, 100%. I’ve contemplated it a lot. The Trump administration trying to rescind DACA has been unfortunate and unfair. I explored different options for once I finished my degree. I knew I liked tech, but that was as far as I knew. I started in IT support. Talking with friends who also have DACA, I created a Plan B, C, and D. I looked into Canada, Mexico, and Japan. Canada was at the top because they have a quicker process to get permanent residency and it is skills-based. Mexico gets portrayed through a lens of crime. This and my family’s experience of poverty skewed my views. However, meeting Roberto, a friend who lives in Mexico, gave me a new perspective on what it’s like with a decent job.
I explored all avenues where I could go as a Mexican citizen. The question I get asked is, ‘why don’t you just do it?’ My family and friends are here. The moment I leave, I don’t have an immediate way back. Being okay with that has been the toughest mental block to overcome. As the oldest and having a career, my parents can lean on me more. They don’t have to worry so much. I lived with them for a month in January because of the pandemic. My job was fully remote. Being at home, I saw what they needed. I told my mom we could replace different things in the house instead of having to adapt to the challenges of having things that were deteriorating in the house. I no longer wanted them to struggle with the small things in life anymore.
I’m definitely looking at other places. One day, I want to live elsewhere. There are so many places I want to visit too. France because I’ve always appreciated French culture. Spain because of the language aspect. I want to go abroad someday. It’s not about being a U.S. citizen, a Mexican citizen, or French citizen. We’re all human.
What challenges did you face in your pursuit of post-secondary education and beyond as a non-U.S. citizen?
The biggest challenge was financial. I had no access to federal or state public funds. A lot of states did not grant undocumented immigrants in-state tuition when I was applying – since then some have started to enact progressive policies to help undocumented folks. Even though I’ve been in North Carolina since I was four years old, the rule of getting in-state tuition after two years was not applicable. I had to pay out-of-state tuition, which is much higher. Then, there is the room and board, travel, and additional living expenses. My undergraduate degree at UNC-Charlotte ended up costing about $130,000. That is a public school, it is even higher for a private school.
That was one of the biggest challenges, where do you come up with that kind of money? My parents could not afford that. I even considered Mexico since it would have ended up being more affordable to study there. Another challenge was living on my own for the first time. The longest I had been away was in the summer of 2012 for a program called Governor’s School. Two individuals from every county in North Carolina are selected for a five-week program.
It was very hard not seeing my parents or experiencing Latino culture, things like quinceañeras, weddings, and dancing, were all things that I missed out on every weekend during college. On campus, they hosted block parties with music, but I felt lost. People around me jumped up and down. This was not how I was used to dancing. How was I supposed to socialize?
Those barriers have diminished overtime. Now, I see them less as barriers, but rather as opportunities to challenge myself and also bring people in to share my culture. Thankfully the Golden Door Scholarship helped me. There are more scholarships available now. There’s the Dream.US and other smaller ones. Some schools, even public ones, are trying to allocate private scholarships for undocumented students. Before 2012, people without DACA faced even greater challenges.
Where did the inspiration to create My Undoculife come from, and why do you think it’s important to do this work?
I made small steps. First, the website creation in college. Then, unlocking my potential to amplify my voice. In 2018, I began the transition into software engineering programming. I’m not a website designer by nature, but I can put something together. I targeted making a personal portfolio to make my work visible. Afterwards, I thought, I’ve been successful, which is great. However, it’s important to showcase the successes of others too. There are many platforms that do that, but not for people like me. It might be due to lack of a platform. It could also be that the media portrays our stories in a specific way.
These things came together and I wanted to share people’s successes without an agenda. I began doing interviews. I realized I needed to be more targeted. I thought about a platform for undocumented folks; My Undoculife was born. The idea was that people who are undocumented need a platform to share their story. We aren’t heard as much as other individuals. I saw people needed to see someone share their story first in order for them to be comfortable sharing theirs. I started with mine. I wasn’t eager to be a writer, but I wanted to get this rolling. I started getting views and asked people if they would be okay sharing snippets of their stories. I met a fellow Latina through a mentoring organization called Circle de Luz that she volunteered with. She thought the website was awesome and wrote a post about the challenges of fitting in. It was a hit and I continued to develop the site.
This platform specifically targets anyone who identifies as undocumented now or at any point. The general concept of being undocumented doesn’t get a lot of spotlight. It was taboo before DACA since everyone lived ‘in the shadows.’ Who’s to say you would not get deported after coming out? But, it’s significant to share our stories, so we do not feel alone. When you’re trying to fit in, thinking that you’re the only one is alienating, right? If you are in a room and think you are the only one who feels a specific way, you may resort to staying in a corner, hindering yourself. I want to end that and give everyone a place where they can identify with others.
Do you leverage your multicultural and multilingual background as a competitive edge in your applications?
In general, I always put Spanish as an additional language in my applications. I have a concrete example though. By definition, I was an international student at UNC-Charlotte. I used that to my benefit when interviewing to become a Resident Advisor for the international and Honors students. I reiterated that I had been an Honors Program student myself and had connections with the program. I could be a liaison. Then, I defaulted to the fact that they categorized me as ‘international.’ I brought up how I was able to connect with Spanish-speaking students in the dorm. Being multilingual and multicultural gave me an edge compared to other candidates. In this case, leveraging my culture and language helped me.
However, had I been applying to another residence hall it may not have given me as much of a leg up, and this goes for any role, you want to tailor your resume. After this, I worked in Sales at Red Ventures part-time because they had a big need for Spanish-speakers. In my resume and cover letter, I emphasized that I could easily transition from English to Spanish. I also wrote that I did not even require language training, I just had to be taught the technical vocabulary.
If you can link language and culture, do it, especially as companies continue to push for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Open yourself and share your culture. Think about how you can use it to push a company’s mission forward. Start by sharing your story, connecting with others, and identifying any gaps in the company. How can these gaps be filled? If I am up next to a candidate with the exact qualifications and years of experience, I can differentiate myself by sharing that I can do public speaking in English and Spanish. I also have cultural awareness in business, which is helpful if the company wants to go international. A lot of companies like candidates with study abroad experiences. However, as an immigrant coming to the States and adapting/living with several cultures, that is an abroad experience without going abroad. As we become more virtual, there will be more programs to learn how to speak different languages, connect with people from that country, and learn about their culture without leaving the comfort of your home.
Any final thoughts or words of advice?
The pandemic’s virtual nature unlocked new connections and friendships. I met people online whom I have yet to meet in person, but feel very connected with. It takes intention to meet every now and then, but even small messages work. That’s the way to become better. I want us to relate on a human level. To have nationalities be secondary, so we can celebrate each other first. In this virtual world, it is possible to embrace the concept that everyone has access to be abroad, even if they stay in their country. Go on Reddit. Look for groups that are in a country you are interested in, then for anything that interests you about the culture. The internet is a place that allows you to go down rabbit holes and explore other countries. We can become international citizens. We are all part of this world and need to appreciate one another more.
About Oscar Romero
He is a passionate software engineer dedicated to leveraging technology for positive change. He wears many hats, but the main ones he has are as a first-generation immigrant, first-generation college graduate, and activist for equity and inclusion. Much like in software, where constant iteration and improvement drive progress, he believes that our society has the power to continuously evolve and strive for equity, justice, and inclusion.