2026 – Shirel Morales – cedar valley high school HS

My Life So Far

When I was little, I had to leave my country because of political issues. I was about seven years old, in 2017, if I remember correctly. At that time, there were many protests, and many young university students died as a result of the government. My family decided to move to another country because it was the safest option at the moment, and they were worried about my safety and my future. They wanted to see if, in another country, we could have stability and a peaceful life.

That is how I arrived in Ecuador. It is a beautiful country, but at first the change was drastic and very different from my own country. It was cold, and I felt that many days were very cloudy. My hometown is known for having strong sunlight and constant heat. I studied in Ecuador and my parents worked, but in the end it was not what we wanted. Thanks to some neighbors, we found out that in our country someone was trying to steal the house we owned. It was a house my parents had built on a large piece of land that my grandmother had sold to my mother.

That is how we returned to Venezuela, and when I was nine years old, we moved to Chile. I liked Chile even more. It was beautiful and felt different, but there I experienced xenophobia from a woman and her daughter, who was supposedly my friend. Xenophobia is the hatred that some people feel toward immigrants, even when they have done nothing wrong. I lived there for almost three years, and when I finally thought I was adapting, we returned to my home country. That was in 2020, and I was just entering adolescence.

I arrived when the lockdown started because of the COVID pandemic. I had no friends and no social life. The only people I had were some neighbors who were five to eight years older than me, who at least allowed me to socialize a little. That time was very difficult because I felt lonely and bored. I did not have online classes; I simply had to go to school to pick up my assignments and turn them in a month later. The education was very poor, and I did not learn anything useful. It was clear that there were almost no teachers left, because most of them had moved away.

Two years passed, and with the help of a relative, we decided to come to the United States. However, before that happened, we went to Colombia. Because of a law passed in 2021, we were not able to enter the United States and had to stay in Colombia. Colombia was more similar to what I knew from my country. There, just like in other countries where I had lived, there was also xenophobia, but luckily I did not experience it personally.

I arrived in a small town near Medellín, and there the economic instability was even worse. We had no money, and the little we had was only for rent and food. We lived in a kind of cabin with only one room that looked like a small storage space. In the middle of the house there was an area for a bed, but it did not even look like a real room. It was very humble. Despite the financial problems, I had fun, made friends, lost friends, fell in love, and grew emotionally. In that year and a half, I experienced love, anger, sadness, and happiness.

In August 2023, my family and I finally arrived in the United States after trying for a long time. When I arrived, it was a very difficult shock. I did not understand anything, everything made me feel embarrassed, and every night I wanted to cry because I did not speak the language. In the end, I was able to adapt. I learned how to communicate and made great friends.

As a migrant, it is not easy to leave everything you know out of necessity. I did not grow up in just one place, but in several. I learned that sometimes the things that happen are for a greater good, and the best you can do is learn from them and become a better person. Every experience gives you something, whether it is good or bad. You have control over your actions and your emotions. Remember that you are not alone; there will always be people who are there for you. The important thing is to be able to see them.