“It’s kind of intimidating to talk about their stories, in a way, because it gets kind of serious really fast…I think that they just—they appreciate the sacrifice that they made to come over here.”

Story #41, M, First-generation Mexican-American

Interview conducted and story written by Gisele Sanchez

Edited by Margherita Marras

M is a first-generation Mexican-American studying computer science at Boston University. She was born and raised in Texas but spent the first year of her life in Mexico. Her parents frequently moved back and forth between Mexico and Texas in hopes of one day settling in the United States and making a new life for themselves and their three daughters. To this day, M hasn’t forgotten the sacrifices her parents have made and continues to work towards her future with their efforts in mind.

“I’m actually the first one to go to college in my entire family…It’s nice to, like, make them proud and get a degree…They’re very happy, and so am I!” said M. 

Her parents are from Matamoros, Mexico, a city just across the border from Brownsville, Texas where M was born in 2002. Two years later, her parents moved to the bustling city of Houston, Texas where they live to this day. 

“They just wanted a better life for their family…There was a lot of fear…I remember them telling me…they had to just clutch me and just, like, hope that they didn’t get, you know, stopped by immigration on the way here,” said M. 

M remembers her parents’ dedication to starting anew in the United States.

“I think when we bought a house, like our own house, it was, like, very special to them…they’ve never acted as if, like, they were doing something wrong. They just wanted to keep moving forward.”

While her parents' commitment has allowed M to live the life she has now, their migration has left her with very little knowledge of the life they left behind in Mexico—including her family history.

“I want to delve into my family history so bad! You have no idea…The thing is, they hardly talk about themselves before they moved…[They’d] really like to just keep trekking on, for some reason. It’s kind of intimidating to talk about their stories, in a way, because it gets kind of serious really fast…I think that they just—they appreciate the sacrifice that they made to come over here…” said M.

M explains that moving across the country for college has intensified her experience as a first-generation American. 

“I was in my own bubble for a long time…our schools were mostly Hispanics, our neighborhoods were also mostly Hispanics, and the stores that we went to—everybody else was Hispanic…there’s definitely, like, a difference between me and those who are not first-generation. Like the struggles are different…I’m not, like, that exposed to [the] luxuries that I feel like a lot of [non-first-gen] BU students have…so it’s definitely eye-opening.” 

Despite her parents coming to the U.S. for the first time in 1996, they’ve only recently been able to make significant progress in their immigration process. While this isn’t uncommon for many Mexican immigrants in the U.S., M explains that Trump’s presidency especially delayed her parents’ legalization process. 

“I’m a lot more aware of how long it takes for someone to become legal in this country, or like how hard that process is—because I’ve seen it firsthand. My parents have been here for over 20 years, and they just now, like, made a step forward…that's why some people resort to just being caught. They’re just so tired of waiting they’d rather take the risk…”

Unwilling to take such chances, her family’s legal status has been emotionally taxing, especially because of the way Mexican immigrants are often negatively depicted in the United States.

“That conversation has just been…looming over my family but we don’t speak it out loud…that’s always been one of the greatest fears for us, like, you can’t do anything wrong…[Immigrants are] some of the most hardworking people in the country, and they get absolutely nothing for it…they’re the silent backbone of the U.S.,” said M.

However, in recent years, with her eldest sister now old enough to be a sponsor for her parents’ legalization process—times have been looking up.

“For now, it’s less, like, crying and more, like, steps forward…I’m glad that they’re able to, like, have fun now…[with] the money and the confidence to go out…” said M. 

Now a sophomore, M only has two more years of university left and with her parents in the process of getting their papers, she can look forward to seeing them at her graduation. 

“I’ve been wanting for them to see Boston because they have no idea what it looks like. So, I’m looking forward to that, and I’m looking forward to going to Mexico with them, and for them to show me where they come from…I show them and they show me…we can do that in peace.”