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Caption: EN MEDIO Zach
Caption: Meet Zach, a first generation college student with dreams of making a splash in the media world.
Despite being born in the states, Zach is one of many who identify both with their country of birth and also their parents' homeland.
Zach explains to us what it means to be a first generation student and why he doesn't take it for granted.
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Caption: Zach is a first generation college student coming to terms with his identity.
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Caption: His family expects the best from him and he admits that it has driven him to excel.
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Caption: As a first generation student, Zach has had to deal with certain stereotypes including being thought of as an illegal immigrant.
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Caption: "I have heard some people think that we are privileged in a way, that universities favor us because we are diverse."
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Caption: "It's not necessarily true either, I don't feel anymore important or favored ..."
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Caption: "I do feel my education can be taken away from me ..."
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Caption: "It's very tough on me and it's very scary to think that I can have that stripped from me so easily."
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Caption: Politicians vilifying immigrants is something that miffs Zach. Many people in his family have identified as undocumented at one point or the other.
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Caption: Zach admits, if he were an undocumented student, his life would be significantly harder.
There are certain privileges he has become accustomed to that wouldn't apply in such a situation.
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Caption: ".... It's inconceivable for me to believe the hardships that someone who is undocumented overcomes."
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Caption: When it comes to nationality, there's a clash of cultures within him that Zach has still not resolved.
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Caption: "And I think I have this fused understanding of what culture is and what my Identity is and I think they can blend. It's not one or the other."
Caption: For more information on the En Medio project, please visit
Facebook.com/enmedious
Instagram.com/enmedio_u.s
Mkoleosho.com/enmedio
And my personal profile at
Instagram.com/El9th