Oral history interview with Marcela Bonilla Morales, 2019 September 21

This oral history interview with Marcela Bonilla Morales was conducted by Sankar Raman, Nancy E. Dollahite, and Shea Seery on September 21, 2019. The interview was recorded for The Immigrant Story, an organization that documents and archives the stories of immigrants and refugees in the United States.

In this interview, Bonilla Morales discusses her family background and early life in San Salvador, El Salvador. She talks about adjusting to life in Beaverton, Oregon, after she and her family immigrated to the United States in 2006, including learning English. She also discusses her relationship with her older brother. She shares her high school experiences, including her education, her social life, and speaking to classes about her status as an undocumented immigrant. She talks about the process of registering for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) in order to apply to colleges; discusses her feelings about being undocumented; and shares her plans for the future. She closes the interview by talking about her experiences as a student at Portland Community College, and by sharing advice for other DACA recipients.