A 20-year-old political science major at the University of South Florida, Maylin has had to adapt to the nature of education during the pandemic in the same way as millions of students across the country.
Unlike many of her other fellow students, however, she has had to shoulder the burden of an uncertain future in the face of Trump administration efforts to eliminate DACA and turn away foreign students.
Maylin came to the United States at the age of four from Honduras and has been aware of her tenuous immigration status since before she started the college search process at the end of high school.
Thanks to DACA, she has been able to go to the University of South Florida and been able to cover her $495 renewal fee for her second application with money she saved working her part-time job. And although she was relieved when the Supreme Court ruled against the administration, she struggles with the fact that she and others with DACA status now have to apply for renewal each year instead of every other year—and that no new applications are being accepted.
“It has been very difficult to digest all this news in such a short time,” Maylin told the Tampa Bay Times in August. ”I feel heartbroken because many of us think that this could be the last time.”
