At just 14 years of age, Michelle Romero faced a life-altering upheaval. Born in Illinois and raised in Wisconsin as a daughter of undocumented immigrants, Romero was forced to leave the only home she had ever known when her family moved to Mexico in 2017 shortly after President Donald Trump was inaugurated for the first time after the November, 2016, election. “My parents didn’t want to risk it,” she said. “They just didn’t want to deal with possibly being deported and having the family torn apart.”

Four years later, she returned to San Diego, enrolled at City College, and embarked on a journey to impact local, state and national policy as an elected representative or immigration attorney.

She’s off to an impressive start. The Associated Student Government Vice President is an Honor Roll regular, has already been accepted to one University of California campus, and was recently named a national semifinalist for the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship that provides a tuition-free pathway to a four-year degree at a college or university of choice.

Romero’s path to City may have been preordained, but it was never planned. The first-generation American was born to parents who left the town of Tonatico in the State of Mexico in search of a better life across the border and settled in Kenosha, Wisconsin. For nearly two decades, Romero’s father worked as a carpenter while mom stayed home to take care of the family, which includes Romero’s two older brothers also lacking the legal authorization to be here.

While Romero grew up and attended bilingual schools in Kenosha, she concedes she sometimes found herself feeling out of place in White spaces. Moving to Mexico, though, came as a bit of culture shock.

That changed over time. “I found myself; I found my culture; I found who I am.” After Romero moved to San Diego in 2020 to be with a sister who moved to the region earlier in the year, she finally felt truly at peace. “California is the perfect blend of Mexican and American culture,” she said.

Following a gap year after graduating from an online Mexican high school, Romero turned to City College, in large part because of its impressive transfer rates and more.

“It’s a great school with faculty and staff that show dedication to their students,” she said. “They know their students come from different backgrounds and face different struggles, and they do what they can to accommodate that.”

Romero’s story is not just about personal success; it’s about using her experiences to drive change. “It’s hard for people to grasp what it’s like if you’ve never been through this, and I’m glad not everyone has to experience the challenges mixed-status families are facing today, but the reality for children of undocumented parents is one of fear and uncertainty,” said Romero, who will graduate with a double major in political science and law, public policy and society. “I want people to understand this reality and work toward a better future.”