Getting lost but somehow finding a way. A recurring theme that describes the immigration journey of communications professor Ana Mercado.
There is no better example than when 5-year-old Mercado had to leave her hometown of Acámbaro, Guanajuato, Mexico and immigrate with her parents to the United States.
“I got here on a Saturday, bought my uniforms and by Monday I had to go to school,” Mercado said.
On that Monday, Mercado said she took the bus to school, but had one little problem, “I didn’t know my stop, so I stayed on the bus the whole time and couldn’t really communicate with the bus driver because I didn’t speak English.”
Eventually, the bus driver got Mercado to school, where she was able to communicate with her parents.
However, that wouldn’t be the last time Mercado was “lost,” with her next challenge being college.
“I got into Sac State but since I was someone of mixed-status, I didn’t qualify for financial aid meaning I had to pay out of pocket,” Mercado said.
Then Mercado was presented the opportunity to sort out her immigration status, which entailed having to go back to Mexico, drop out of college and leave behind her tuition money as she couldn’t get a refund.
Once she returned from Mexico and was no longer someone of mixed-status, Mercado decided to resume her college journey and enroll at Cosumnes River College.
“It took me eight years to get my associates degree, mostly because I wasn’t aware of the resources available to me,” Mercado said. “Once I finally saw a counselor, they told me I could have graduated years ago.”
From there, Mercado transferred back to Sac State and expedited her time there, graduating in one year by taking summer and winter courses.
Mercado said her struggles through college are what motivated her to be an educator. Through her experiences, Mercado, who teaches public speaking, wants to be a resource for her students.
“I will teach you communication and public speaking but ultimately I want to help guide you and make you aware of the resources on campus,” Mercado said.
Mercado gears her mixed-status students towards the Dream Center, which is located on campus in the College Center in office 162.
Mercado says the rhetoric used against people of mixed-status is a dehumanizing one, reducing people to a stereotype that incites fear and mistrust.
“The rhetoric also fails to include how undocumented immigrants often contribute positively to society in many ways that go unnoticed,” Mercado said.
Outside of campus, Mercado spends her time on the soccer field. Not because soccer is her passion, but rather because soccer is the passion of her three children.
Instead Mercado said her passion is media, things like books and television.
“If you see me walking around campus with headphones on, I’m not listening to music, I’m listening to an audio book,” Mercado said.
Mercado says her passion for media and television specifically stems from how media provided a window for her to understand American society and culture.
Mercado’s life journey is one filled with many struggles. However, it is through those struggles that in the end, in the dark sea that is college, Mercado aims to be a beacon of light for her students.