Journey for Justice: Ju Hong's Story

Ju Hong came from a lower-income background and his family struggled to deal with financial issues. He also dealt with family-related troubles at home in South Korea prior to the move. In summary, Ju’s mother decided to take the chance and move to a completely unfamiliar location to find new opportunities and overall, to grow in their financial status. There was just nothing left in South Korea for them anymore. He soon had to deal with being undocumented - which he soon found out was “More than Just a Label” ^[9].

Ju Hong came from a lower-income background and his family struggled to deal with financial issues. He also dealt with family-related troubles at home in South Korea prior to the move. In summary, Ju’s mother decided to take the chance and move to a completely unfamiliar location to find new opportunities and overall, to grow in their financial status. There was just nothing left in South Korea for them anymore. He soon had to deal with being undocumented - which he soon found out was “More than Just a Label” ^[9].

Ju Hong was able to get into U.C Davis, and he was incredibly elated! However, the reality soon hit him: he would be ineligible for financial aid now. Going to college would be a pricey feat, and therefore it looked completely infeasible overall, “and it just wasn’t possible” ^[9]. Ju’s mother was “already struggling to pay…rent” ^[9]. Unfortunately and eventually, community college became the only option left at the very end, which was a disheartening thought to come to terms with because of all the planning and goals Ju previously had.

Ju Hong was able to get into U.C Davis, and he was incredibly elated! However, the reality soon hit him: he would be ineligible for financial aid now. Going to college would be a pricey feat, and therefore it looked completely infeasible overall, “and it just wasn’t possible” ^[9]. Ju’s mother was “already struggling to pay…rent” ^[9]. Unfortunately and eventually, community college became the only option left at the very end, which was a disheartening thought to come to terms with because of all the planning and goals Ju previously had.

Initially, Ju felt left out when he heard other students talking about which colleges they would be attending. He felt like a completely different person and his mental health led to an immense isolation. Like Ju Hong said, it was “a very difficult time” ^[9]. However, he slowly began finding the varying narratives of other undocumented immigrants. Having meaningful conversations with those students really shaped the trajectory of Ju’s life for the better. Ju realized the lack of public information for all of these different students.

Initially, Ju felt left out when he heard other students talking about which colleges they would be attending. He felt like a completely different person and his mental health led to an immense isolation. Like Ju Hong said, it was “a very difficult time” ^[9]. However, he slowly began finding the varying narratives of other undocumented immigrants. Having meaningful conversations with those students really shaped the trajectory of Ju’s life for the better. Ju realized the lack of public information for all of these different students.

Some of the many initiatives Ju took ahold of were “an anonymous blog about being an undocumented student,” “writing a column for the Laney Community College paper, posting a YouTube video in which he talked openly about being undocumented, and eventually running for president of the student body,” which together, started to give Ju an ample momentum for the future, therefore creating quite a bit of an influence where it meant the most to him ^[9].

Some of the many initiatives Ju took ahold of were “an anonymous blog about being an undocumented student,” “writing a column for the Laney Community College paper, posting a YouTube video in which he talked openly about being undocumented, and eventually running for president of the student body,” which together, started to give Ju an ample momentum for the future, therefore creating quite a bit of an influence where it meant the most to him ^[9].

The DREAM Act evidently meant a lot to Ju Hong, because it gave him the chance to not have to pay an enormous amount to college when it was unfeasible for his family, and it furthermore gave Ju the chance to stay in touch with representing students at quite a few different avenues, including the aforementioned ones. There was so much that came out of it. Apart from his self-started blog and other initiatives, Ju’s influences grew as he additionally worked with “did phone banking, press conferences, petition drives, events and rallies,” and more too ^[9]. Furthermore, from Ju’s perspective, we can see the extensive portfolio of stellar actions he formed and improved when he tells us in his narrative, “I spoke at many different conferences, and I wrote my own opinion column for a Berkeley newspaper. I also did interviews with the national media and shared my testimony.” ^[9].

The DREAM Act evidently meant a lot to Ju Hong, because it gave him the chance to not have to pay an enormous amount to college when it was unfeasible for his family, and it furthermore gave Ju the chance to stay in touch with representing students at quite a few different avenues, including the aforementioned ones. There was so much that came out of it. Apart from his self-started blog and other initiatives, Ju’s influences grew as he additionally worked with “did phone banking, press conferences, petition drives, events and rallies,” and more too ^[9]. Furthermore, from Ju’s perspective, we can see the extensive portfolio of stellar actions he formed and improved when he tells us in his narrative, “I spoke at many different conferences, and I wrote my own opinion column for a Berkeley newspaper. I also did interviews with the national media and shared my testimony.” ^[9].