American D.R.E.A.M.

2009-2010

The focus of this work is on undocumented college students. Year after year, thousands of law-abiding high school students, who are undocumented, graduate without being able to plan for the future, and others are removed from their homes to countries they barely know.

I am very passionate about the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act and use my photography to give these undocumented students an identity. The DREAM Act is a bipartisan proposal, which would create a pathway to citizenship for thousands of young students who were brought to the United States years ago as infants and young children and through no fault of their own, are undocumented. Each of these otherwise law-abiding students came to the United States from different countries at different ages and they all want to be allowed an opportunity to pursue a pathway to becoming American. The United States, for many, is the only country they know. Through my photography, I can bring attention to political issue. Most opponents of the DREAM Act argue that every undocumented person is an “illegal immigrant” and lump them into the same category. However, these young people who were brought to the US by their parents had no say in the matter and are caught in the middle of a failed immigration system.

         Through the details and objects found in the bedrooms, I show how they are American in every sense except unlike the average American student, once these undocumented students graduate from college, they will be unable to obtain a job. I have chosen not to show their faces so as not to disclose their true identity yet I want to show their existence. In addition, I have added text to the images to give each person the opportunity to share their personal stories and feelings. Each image is titled with the age they were brought to the United States and their college major. All of the students I photograph have demonstrated a commitment to hard work and are currently attending various colleges around North Texas. These educated students want nothing more than to be able to contribute to the only country they know and love.