“Nick” is a 26 year-old male. He was part of the initial cohort of undocumented students to benefit from California’s Assembly Bill 540, which allows undocumented students to attend California’s public colleges while paying in-state tuition. When asked if he identifies as “American,” Nick responds, “sometimes I don’t know if I do.” Despite being raised in the United States since the age of five and “growing up just like every other kid,” he began feeling less and less “American” as the difficulties of his immigration status mounted. Nick first learned about his immigration status when he was eight, around the time of California’s Proposition 187. Afraid for his well-being Nick’s mother made him aware that, in her words, he was “illegal.” At the time, he did not fully understand the implications of what this meant. It was not until the end of high school, when Jonathan started looking more intently towards his future, that he realized the extent of the obstacles posed by his status.
