Occupation: Student

Country of Birth: Venezuela

Current: Chicago, IL

“I would like to be able to represent my country from here—let them know that we can make a difference. No matter how small that difference is, we can be someone big.”

Douglas enjoyed life in Venezuela, where he lived with his mom, dad, and brother. But ongoing shortages of basic goods make it difficult to survive. His dad protested for a better situation for the country in order to secure a better life for him and his brother. One day, his dad went out to a protest and never came back. His life has not been normal since that day. 

In 2021, Douglas and his siblings moved to Chile to reunite with their mom, who had moved there prior. Their life was better, but after a time, his mom’s job was no longer able to support them. The family needed to move again, this time, to the United States. 

There was not enough money for their whole family to travel, so they were separated. Douglas walked for seven days to Mexico, close to the border, and was able to stay with his mom’s cousin for a while. After turning themselves in to immigration, they were able to arrive in the US at a refugee center in Texas. The center was overcrowded, but they were given plane tickets to Chicago. 

Chicago felt like a new world. Douglas loved the city, and people were kinder. It was hard adapting to school at first because he missed his siblings who could not come. After being in Chicago for almost two years, he has been studying and learning since the first day. He is able to understand the language that was hard for him at first. He is very happy and is hopeful to see his siblings again. 

Douglas dreams of studying finance. He loved mathematics since he was little. He would like to be able to represent his country and make a difference, no matter how small it is.