Past Elsie Allen High School Interact Student Wants You to Read This!
Luz lived with her mother, a Spanish speaking house cleaner, and younger sister. She was very active in our Interact Club and a dedicated student. We purchased a laptop for her, and she was a recipient of our scholarship.
Luz was reluctant to go away to college and leave her family. I remember conversations with her as she was deciding what to do. She attended Davis, I believe, and returned home often to help her mother and sister. Family was always her top priority……and still is.
~Stacy
CALL TO ACTION! PLEASE READ :)
This is the last time I use my voice, my story, and my life to try to create change in the United States. For the last time, I step out of the shadows to share not only my story, but the story of so many who silently struggle, worry, and sacrifice their lives and happiness for the American Dream. A dream now tainted, shattered… a nightmare lived by millions.
My name is Luz Hernandez. I am a proud DACA recipient since 2015 and a first-generation college student who tried—over and over—to give back to my community. I was brought to the U.S. at the age of six and spent my life trying to be accepted by this country. A country that once opened doors for me to thrive, to grow, and to become the best version of myself—a version devoted to serving the community that raised me.
I am a proud Elsie Allen High School LOBO! Yes, I attended a predominantly Latino school—one now on the verge of shutting down, not because it isn’t needed, but because the system is broken. A system that was never designed for people who look like me. A system that swallows dreams whole. Believe it or not, my dream was to work my way up to become Elsie’s principal. Crazy, right? I had big plans. I even tried to save my school by running for the SRCS board, to take over Elsie’s district. But I wasn’t allowed to do the one thing I knew I would excel at. And for those who know me—you know I would have killed it.
If you’re still reading—thank you. Thank you for hearing me out, because it means one thing: I’ve successfully left the country I once called home and are now back where it all started, Leon, GTO, MEXICOOOO! After 20 years of living in the U.S, my family and I have decided to leave due to the political climate. After 20 years, I leave the country that has given me so much but has now broken my spirit, my dreams, and my hope.
For the last time, I speak on behalf of the targeted group this administration continues to push into the shadows. For the last time, I use my voice for something I believe in. For the last time, I ask you to keep sharing my story.
In March 2024, I became one of the first DACA recipients to speak at a TEDx event—TEDxSonoma County—where I shared my story of growing up undocumented. A year and a half later, I write this goodbye letter from my empty low-income apartment. A place once full of life now holds nothing but a mattress and a suitcase.
It’s surreal—because a year and a half ago, I stood on a TED stage. Me. An undocumented, first-generation college student, a DACA recipient. Me. And for what? All my hard work… for what? Was it never enough?
I cry as I write this—not from sadness about leaving, but from the pain of being rejected by the country I once loved. People tell me I’m giving up, throwing it all away. But what about me? I’ve been reduced to a number, a token, a “success story” used to inspire donors. My story has been sold for years—marketed as resilience and determination—yet behind it all is sacrifice, exhaustion, and the feeling of being disposable.
There are 538,000 active DACA recipients and 11 million undocumented people in this country. We are your neighbors, friends, coworkers. We cook your meals, pick your produce, build your roads, and maintain the spaces you live and work in. For years, our stories have been used as selling points. And still, nothing changes.
I have given this country everything—my grit, my youth, my dreams and for the first time, I am taking back control. For the first time, I am leaving by choice. I am done being a story that sells, because at the end of the day, that’s all I’ve been allowed to be.
The irony of asking you to share my story one last time is that I’m not asking for pity or for it to be used as a selling point—but as a call to action. I want you to know this because I’m not alone in feeling this way: stuck, unseen, disposable. And I want you to understand that good people are leaving. People like me.
Not to toot my own horn, but I’m a hoot. I’m determined, vocal, resilient, hard-working, driven, selfless, caring—and above all, I know how to connect with and inspire our youth. I’m someone who believed deeply in the power of democracy. The same democracy we were taught to honor while reciting the Pledge of Allegiance every morning in school. The same democracy that convinced me I could one day become one of the good politicians. Because believe me when I say… I had so much more to offer than this.
I don’t know exactly what Mexico holds for me, but I’m excited to find out just how far I can go. My confidence is back, and I’m ready for whatever path lies ahead. I’ve always believed everything happens for a reason, and I trust that I went through this because God and the universe have something better waiting for me—something I truly deserve.
If you don’t fight for others, fight for your rights as Americans. Do not let them win. Do not let them turn your life upside down for political or monetary gain. Your voice matters, you matter!
And to my students, please reach for the stars and go even higher! I will forever believe you can do whatever it is you set your mind to! You have all accomplished so much at such a young age, keep going! Keep showing up for yourselves! I will always and forever cheer you on because you can beat the odds! I love you all and make me proud!
With love,
Luz Hernandez
TedTalk: Paying It Forward and Back | Luz Hernandez | TEDxSonomaCounty
Click the image above to view the YouTube video.
