Walking Beside Each Other: Qamar Elia
Qamar Elia, B.S. Biology '26, Pre-Dental El Paso, TX 2024 During my freshman year of college, I went on my first service immersion trip to El Paso, Texas. As an immigrant myself, despite my family and I struggling in our own immigration journey, I got to immerse myself and listen to the stories of other immigrants. This service trip showed me a side of immigration I had not experienced myself: families forced to leave with no time to plan, crossing deserts and borders with no certainty about what comes next, and risking everything to survive. It made me reflect on how every single one of us in America, whether we were first-generation immigrants or descendants of immigrants, all had a unique, often difficult and dangerous story that led us to the promised “land of the free and home of the brave.” Throughout the week, we visited shelters, listened to immigration lawyers, and met families who had crossed the border. We heard stories of long journeys, impossible decisions, and parents...
