2026 – Julianna Bello – Cyprus high school HS

The reality of a daughter of an immigrant

My name is Julianna Bello Rodriguez and if you know me you know I am very enthusiastic and very sweet, loving and outgoing, and I am a junior graduating a year early! Wanting to go to Utah Tech University, and wanting to major in health science in becoming a cardiologist for pediatrics

Being a daughter of immigrants has never been easy,  people tell me I don’t belong all because of my skin pigmentation all because I speak Spanish all because they say I will never be anything in life because I come from immigrants. But really what does that mean? In my head everyone belongs no matter your skin pigmentation that does not define you. There has Been so many night I sit and wonder at times why is the world so cruel for as long as I can remember I have always been judged for being Hispanic I have always received different looks, nothing ever changes.
I remember being 5 years old in my elementary teachers arms crying to her because I was terrified that my parents would get taken away from me it was a really young age for me to be worried about big problems that I knew I had no control over, yet I was terrified all because people always looked us down for being Hispanic. I always got made fun off and I never made friends all because I spoke Spanish and not English but how could I tell them that Spanish was my first language the language that made me feel like I has a place I belonged too.

growing up I always saw my mom with wondering eyes always being afraid of what could happen, while my dad would leave for work all for the so called “American dream” he would work countless days all to provide for me and my siblings, but I would always see how tired he was, his hands covered in dirt, his eyes looking drained and sleepless everyday. And yet people judged if only they knew how amazing we are we mean no harm, we only want a better future.

growing up all my life that has always been my fear is getting my parents taken from me because without them I don’t know what I would do without them. January 20th 2026 was when I started seeing the cruel worlds intentions to separate family’s and deporting innocent families that day was a day I had a huge fear my parents were next, it was getting to a point my parents did not want to leave home anymore, and I was scared to leave home not because I was scared they would take me but because I was scared that I wouldn’t see my parents again if I left. I remember being so scared I started considering online school i remember talking to my counselor about the situation and feeling stressed and scared all at once I felt like my life was falling apart because I couldn’t do anything to help my family all I could do was pray and hope for the best. Everyday I left for school all I could think about getting that call saying they were getting taken from me. So many days I cried being worried about the situation my grades started slipping and so did my attendance. I started worrying about problems I had no control over, and school because a second priority and I started pushing it away something I knew that before everything I never did because school was everything to me.
eventually I knew I could let the situation take over me so I knew I had to push through the hard path and keep going with life so I set my mind set to set everything in gods hands and keep going no matter what. At the end of the day I wasn’t only doing this for me but for my parents to prove to people who doubted me that I was not going to do anything in life I kept pushing through with the Help of my parents I am where I am now. it was a struggle yes it was but having supportive people around you will always make it better, and now I am a student who is graduating a year early for my future and for my parents future and no matter what happenes I know there will always be hard paths but with my parents help I will always be able to keep going and push right through.

always remember your not alone and every person has a different story and that everyone belongs because we’re all one and no matter what life through that you, at the end everything gets easy and you will achieve your goals

02/22/2026

julianna Bello Vasquez