55-41. That was the Senate’s final vote on the DREAM Act.
Thousands of undocumented students received a huge blow when these long-anticipated results came in. The DREAM Act, in essence, provides hard-working students, who have lived the majority of their lives in the United States, the opportunity to become citizens. There are a other requirements for students to be eligible under the DREAM Act but the main ones are these: students would have to complete the curriculum for a college degree or fulfill two years of service in the armed forces in order to receive citizenship.
I am deeply saddened and frustrated that dedicated and determined students who have long pledged allegiance to this great nation are going to have to wait for another chance to become a recognized part of the American mosaic. These individuals are CHOOSING to be American and WANT to contribute to the only country many of them know and call home. But in spite of what many consider a “lost DREAM”, these same students are not giving up much less giving in to naysayers.
The persistence and resilience of the students and groups who have supported the DREAM and will continue to support it, have inspired me to not let my first term grades (all B’s) convince me that I’m inadequate or incapable of success. I’m not saying that I expected a 4.0 but once I saw my grades, a smidge of self-doubt continued to nag me until I realized that this is only the beginning. I may not have started my college career with a bang but it’s a start and in the words of my mother, “You are only a failure if you don’t learn from it.”
I’m taking the next three weeks to figure out what is working, what isn’t, and how I can improve as a student. I’m ready and excited for the winter term and my classes!
Everything in college is a learning experience if you CHOOSE to make it so.
Don’t cry about it, brush yourself off, reflect, and keep moving forward.