Author: Mayra Castro

Mayra enjoys writing about immigrant rights, women's rights, access to education, workplace interactions, films, shows, family and friendships. On her free time she hangs out with her dog, Heisi.

A Thriving Community

“Be the person you needed when you were younger.”


Perhaps one of the biggest highlights of 2019 for me thus far, has been being able to found the Thriving Community Scholarship at Paramount High School, where I graduated from.

In 2010, I graduated from Paramount High and during my senior year of high school, I didn’t really know many others who were undocumented. Much less, anyone who was attending or had graduated from college. During this period in my life, I often found myself wishing I had someone who could guide me through this journey.

The Thriving Community Scholarship seeks to empower undocumented graduating seniors at Paramount High School to pursue higher education and become involved in their communities. The scholarship also aims to build community by mentoring undocumented young people and demonstrating that they can thrive regardless of status.  

Before founding the scholarship, I often found myself reflecting on the almost ten years since I graduated from high school. During those ten years, I was fortunate to have access to the pursuit of a college degree, have been able to work in Washington, DC advocating for immigrant rights, and have been able to help my parents financially.

Because I have been extremely fortunate in my journey, I see this current moment in time as my time to pay it forward.

I find myself in a stage in my life where I can be the person I needed when I was younger – for someone else.

The scholarship is for Paramount High School graduating seniors who are undocumented and will be attending a community college, California State University, University of California, vocational/trade/technical schools or an accredited private university in the Fall of 2019. Scholarship money is intended to pay tuition, fees, books and supplies for the 2019-2020 school year.

Through the power of community, $3,000 was fundraised and three recipients were selected.

Each received $1,000 and started their freshman year in the Fall. They will be attending Cerritos Community College, California State University, Long Beach and University of California, Los Angeles, respectively.

Now more than ever, I believe there is a need to guide young undocumented people through the process of navigating the higher education system, introducing them to our networks, and building community through storytelling among other undocumented people.

I know first-hand how lonely and scary life after high school, for someone who is undocumented, can be.

My hope is that by providing an opportunity – however small that may be, immigrant youth within my community will feel supported.

Thriving Community Scholarship Guide

What If

I often find myself thinking of the “what if’s.”

WHAT IF my family would have stayed in Mexico instead of immigrating to the U.S.?

WHAT IF my parents would have left my brother and I in Mexico (like often happens with many children) and immigrated to the U.S. in order to send back money?

WHAT IF I had my grandparents in close proximity? I wonder what that relationship would have been like.

But in all these what if’s, I am selfishly thinking of the impact these decisions had on my life.

It wasn’t until recently that I thought of the life altering effects these decisions had on others.

My mother and father will never see their fathers alive again. And as a consequence their fathers said goodbye to their children forever.

“El pueblo” (small town) my parents and tias (aunts) often refer to in their stories of their childhood, is no longer the same.

Many of the familiar faces from their youth have either passed away, moved to “el otro lado” (the U.S.) and or left the pueblo due to violence.

Ultimately, I wonder what the lives of my parents and everyone with whom they had built relationships would be like.

Had they decided to stay in Mexico, I wonder if my father would have been able to work on the dysfunctional relationship he had with his own father.

I wonder how many amazing memories my mother would have created with her father. She’s always talked about how loving her father was.

My parents and their parents gave away so much of their relationships as we moved away.

I know for a fact that I would have been close to both my grandfathers.

My paternal grandfather, Jose Antonio, loved to read and was always up to date on world events.

My maternal grandfather, Pedro, worked in the fields all his life. Growing up my mother told me stories of her and her brother taking my grandfather lunch and how as he ate, they picked jícamas from the ground and ate them.

I share my grandfather, Jose’s, interest for books and it was my fondness for staying up to date on current events that led me to pursue a degree in journalism.

I feel the freest when I find myself on hikes away from the city. My life dream is to someday own a farm. I wonder how many conversations about agriculture I could have had with my grandfather, Pedro.

It’s interesting how even at a distance, I share so many of the same interests they had.

Feliz dia del papá, abuelos (happy fathers day, grandpas). Until we see each other again.

  • My paternal grandfather, Jose and I
  • My maternal grandfather, Pedro

Hey, there…

Welcome to my blog!

I am excited to write, again.

I haven’t written much in the last five years, but a lot has happened. I’m 27 now, I’ve had a couple of “adult” jobs, I’ve become more involved in my community, am far more socially conscious than I was at 22 and I have developed an admiration for furniture.

Though a lot has changed, a lot remains the same. I still don’t have it ALL figured out, but, hey, no one really does. I much rather read a good book on weekends than go out, baking continues to help me de-stress, my bluntness still gets me in trouble, floral dresses are my favorite (dresses in general), and I continue to enjoy a good margarita with lots of salt on the rim.

Hope you enjoy reading my posts on many of my experiences or thoughts on a variety of topics. Let me know if there’s a topic that interests you, I am always interested in learning.

Mayra