Introduction

Eduardo Najera, Class of 2014, Dartmouth College

In Mexico, Eduardo lived with his mother, grandparents, and sisters. Eduardo’s mother left Mexico with his younger sister when he was seven years old, and she left because of economic reasons. Their family couldn’t afford to live in Mexico anymore, and Eduardo’s mother couldn’t provide the life that she wanted for her children. There was no work in Mexico for her to sustain her family; she had to make the decision to leave. Eduardo’s mother finished high school, but she couldn’t go to the university because of lack of funds. Eduardo lived with his grandparents and older sister while in Mexico, until his mother could establish herself economically, and she could afford to have Eduardo and his sister move to the U.S. with her. Eduardo left Mexico as an undocumented migrant, and then moved to East Los Angeles with his mother and sister. Eduardo faced many challenges in his education because of the language barrier, as he did not know English. After overcoming this obstacle he began to feel comfortable with the culture within the United States. Eduardo’s family emphasized the importance of education and Eduardo worked his hardest to apply for college. Eduardo was able to learn more about the college application process by doing the College Match program. Eduardo is now a senior at Dartmouth College and a Government Major. Eduardo is the first in his family to go to college.