Petrona Dominguez Francisco arrived in Oregon at the age of 4, immigrating from Guatemala. Growing up, she struggled with her identity. In Petrona’s story, she describes how she didn’t feel like she fit in with either the white kids or the Mexican kids who made up the largest group of Latinx students in her class. Her parents never explicitly told her she was undocumented, but she was always reminded not to talk about where she came from. She finally realized her status when she began thinking about college. To be eligible for financial aid, students must prove their U.S. citizenship. She applied for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and her world changed. She is now a senior in Portland State University’s School of Social Work. She is a passionate advocate for the DREAMers Resource Center at Portland Community College; and, most recently, for an ethnic studies course at Portland Community College. In her free time, Petrona enjoys watching documentaries, exploring Oregon, and making memorable adventures with family and friends.
DREAMs Deferred Live is a production of the award-winning nonprofit The Immigrant Story. The stories were broadcast live on YouTube from St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Beaverton, Oregon, on Saturday, September 12, 2020. With a focus on stories and experiences from our undocumented community, DREAMs Deferred Live provided a space for storytelling, cultural exchange and empathy in light of looming threats to DACA. They were coached by Erin Briddick and assisted by Marie Gettel-Gilmartin.
Subscribe to The Immigrant Story Live channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPai…
Major funding for DREAMS Deferred Live is provided by the generous contribution of the presenting sponsor Zidell Family Foundation. Additional funding was provided by the City of Beaverton as a part of the Beaverton Welcoming Week.