“I remember opening my backpack and all that was in it was two Barbie dolls, four shirts, and six pants. And I remember asking my mom why we couldn’t bring my dollhouse and my Barbie car, and she was like ‘Well hon, we gotta go,'” said Emilia Carmona as she remembered her family’s immigration to the United States when she was four years old.

         Now, a decade later, Carmona is a fourteen-year old girl living in Bloomington, Indiana. She is about to start high school, plays multiple sports, and dreams of attending New York University, but she has never forgotten what it felt like to come to America at a young age.

         “It was all within three days. We had to pack up our lives into suitcases and get out, and my parents didn’t tell us why at the time.” said Carmona. When her family left Venezuela, the government was corrupt and censoring all media that was against the current administration. Houses and buildings were being bombed and people who spoke out against the government were being killed, so her parents took their daughters and moved to Indiana, where they had family. 

         Because of her family’s experience immigrating to the US and her Latina and Catholic culture, Carmona explains that she has learned to work hard for the things she wants, be humble, and appreciate what she has. She describes herself as being very driven in school and motivated by the hard work of her parents. “I think we are a very tight-knit family as it is with a lot of immigrant families – when you are used to big changes together I think you kind of end up sticking together,” said Carmona. 

         Now her family is going through another big change as Carmona’s older sister moves out and starts college. Carmona says that she is going to be really lonely without her sister and she’ll have a lot more responsibility at home, but she plans to keep working toward her goals of attending a prestigious college and becoming a journalist.