One of my assignments for 2026 is to teach an English 1A/1B course at the high school level via Hartnell Community College’s Dual Enrollment Program. I’ve taught these college courses several times, and as always, it’s a  pleasure to be in the presence of such young, vibrant students. They are all seniors, and they will get college credit for completing the year-long course. I thoroughly enjoy being around them, as their energy and lust for life is infectious, and the excitement they hold for their futures is beautiful to witness. A great deal of their excitement comes from their dreams of attending a university and getting into their dream schools! My classroom pulsates when they talk of universities, their majors, the application process, financial aid, housing, and everything else connected to attending college. Their exhilaration is compounded by the fact that they are fully aware that they are on the verge of graduating from high school, on the verge of experiencing and completing one of our most beautiful rites of passage. They are ready to get out! On a personal level, I feel fortunate to be in such close proximity to their exuberance and innocence. The energy they emit makes me feel alive, and thanks to these students, I am a much happier teacher this school year. 

There is a little fear in the air, too. They worry about not getting into their top choice school. They worry about money and housing, too. But youth always wins out, and many of these kids, the brave ones, will ignore the fear and march towards the life they are destined to live.  

Because this is 2026, there is a much greater fear to deal with, one that is not so forgiving.I learned about this when we returned from the Christmas Break when I overheard two of my students discussing college and their dream schools. What I heard caused me to pause, to the point where I literally froze in front of the two girls. What I was hearing was a revelation that simply did not exist in my mind, and the weight of it left me stunned. 

Unfortunately, not everything is as it seems. The other day, I was somewhat stunned by something I learned about them. It caused me to pause, to the point where I literally froze in front of them. What I was hearing was a revelation that simply did not exist in my mind, and I’m sure that for others, this, too, is a revelation.   

Our country’s current administration is causing high school seniors to reevaluate their dreams. For many, the once carefree dream of applying to UCLA or San Diego State is no longer an option. Now, students are purposely avoiding applying to certain colleges for fear of deportation. They are not fearing their own deportation. They are citizens. They are fearing the deportation of their mothers and fathers, of their grandmothers and grandfathers. One of my students said, “I wanted to apply to San Diego State and UC San Diego, but I can’t risk my parents driving down there to visit me. They wouldn’t even be able to see me graduate.” Another student added, “Oh, yeah! Me, too! I didn’t apply to UCLA or San Diego schools. There’s no way they would be able to visit me. It’s not worth it.” 

I can’t remember ever hearing this from any student, and I’ve been teaching for nearly thirty years. It is sad to hear, too. Imagine having to cancel a dream out of real, tangible fear. “Two or three years ago, it wasn’t a thing. The thought was that it’s going to happen. We are going to Chicago or New York!” said one of my students. She added, “You didn’t think that there was going to be a barrier.” My jaw dropped on hearing them talk about ICE and deportation in the same breath as universities and dream schools. 

The ramifications of a parent getting deported run very deep. Parents are the lifelines for their kids. They support them in ways that only parents know. From the clothes on their backs to the food on their plates, and the plates themselves, students rely heavily on the support of their parents. “I rely on my parents to pay for my schooling and to drive me to school. But the risk is not worth it. It’s worth it to sacrifice my dreams if it means my parents are going to be with me,” said one of my female students. Another student shared bits of a conversation she had with her father around this topic. She said, “My dad told me to do what I want and that what’s going on now with ICE shouldn’t stop me, but I wouldn’t be able to deal with the guilt if something happened. It’s not worth it.” 

Things seem dire for these students, and the issue has even caused some students to envy the ones that don’t have to deal with this fear. “I feel like kids whose parents are first and second generation Mexican-Americans are lucky because they don’t really have to deal with this problem because they at least have documentation that they are citizens. Yeah, they could still get taken in, but at least they have something to carry with them,” said one student.

I’m not sure exactly why, other than this being a generally depressing thing, but hearing about it from their own mouths has really affected my psyche, and it causes me pain each time I think about it. I feel stupid, too! How could I have not thought about this before? How could I have not seen this coming? I suppose I exist in a bubble where an issue like this never crossed my mind, not even in the remotest corner. But for my students, this fear exists in the most real way. The biggest pain for me, the saddest part of all of this, is having to listen to my students purposely give up their dreams for the greater good of their families. And they say with courage! It’s a very brave thing to do, but it’s also a very loving thing to do. This act serves to show us the importance of family and the strength of these bonds in the face of serious, life-altering adversity. For me, I hope my students can one way or another make their dreams come true. All they need is a chance.