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<\/p>\nBy Erika Gonz\u00e1lez and Noemi Castanon<\/p>\n
Photography By Erika Gonz\u00e1lez<\/p>\n
Reporting Texas<\/p>\n
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Elizabeth Mazariegos photographs a model as part of her coursework at Collin College. Erika Gonz\u00e1lez\/Reporting Texas<\/p>\n
Elizabeth Mazariegos flips through her folder full of school reports, letters of recommendation and college documents, feeling worried.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never thought I could get this far, and now I feel all my effort is disappearing overnight. It\u2019s like everything I achieved is not enough,\u201d said Mazariegos, a 31-year-old Guatemalan who has lived in the United States for two decades.<\/p>\n
For years, the U.S. policy of Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, protected immigrants who came here as children and allowed Mazariegos to study, work and plan a stable future. Now, that path has become more uncertain as both the state and federal governments clamp down on immigrants.<\/p>\n
On June 5,\u00a0 Texas repealed the Texas Dream Act, a law that since 2001 had allowed undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates and to have access scholarships and loans. Many DACA students say their universities have told them their status is changing from DACA recipients to international students. Mazariegos is going through the pain of a generation of students fighting for their education and for hope<\/p>\n
For Mazariegos, classes at Collin College\u2019s Plano campus in North Texas, where she studies commercial photography and a medical assistant certificate, now cost three times more.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore, I paid $180 to $190 per class. Now it\u2019s almost $700,\u201d Mazariegos said. \u201cI don\u2019t know how I will pay, and I worry I won\u2019t finish what I started.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s Not Just Learning, It\u2019s Surviving<\/p>\n
Mazariegos came to the United States from Guatemala at 11. She remembers her first year here as a culture shock. Bullying, language barriers and family separation made every day a struggle. But her math skills and discipline helped her stand out academically.<\/p>\n
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\u201cEvery time I pay for a class, I feel a small victory.\u201d said Mazariegos, seen here on the Collin college campus. Erika Gonz\u00e1lez\/Reporting Texas<\/p>\n
In high school, she dreamed of becoming a nurse, inspired by her desire to help others and make her parents proud. DACA protections enacted under President Barack Obama in 2012 allowed her to work legally, pay for classes and support her family while studying. Rising tuition and cuts to support programs led her to switch to commercial photography and a medical assistant certificate, while also running her own cleaning business.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like I\u2019m fighting for something that should be normal for any student. It\u2019s not just learning; it\u2019s surviving while studying,\u201d Mazariegos said.<\/p>\n
Support From ROOTED<\/p>\n
Mazariegos is not alone.<\/p>\n