AS VP for Governmental Affairs Ana Ramirez stepped down from her position on Monday, February 5, 2018. The move, first reported by The Western Front, came after she has been prevented from assuming her position for months due to a lack of work authorization. Below, is her exclusive, unedited statement on why she made that decision:
Yesterday I decided to leave my position as ASWWU Vice President for Governmental Affairs. I don’t regret the decision and honestly I should have done so a long time ago. Everyone always told me that if they were me they would have quit a long ago.
Since leaving me people have been asking why. Because I, and undocumented students everywhere, deserve better. I am tired of the fake support from everyone I work with. I am tired of fighting day in and day out for something that isn’t even worth it. So many people outside the AS were excited to learn that I was running for this position last spring quarter, but now I am no longer excited about my position, about my work, about going into the office. I dread going to the office- there have been many times I have asked Alex L, Alex M, or Hunter to wait for me outside the board office or the personnel office and walk into the board office with me because I do not feel comfortable walking into my own office. I am leaving because of the people I work with- maybe you reading this right now. And people outside the AS that I work with? Y’all ain’t off the hook either. There’s nothing in particular that made me decide to step down yesterday. On Sunday I got my first tattoo, in honor of my favorite metalcore band, The Amity Affliction. I got the tattoo because the band got me through self harm. I told 16 year old me not to kill herself for two reasons- to see The Amity Affliction in person, and for future me. After getting the tattoo I asked myself- is this the future me that 16 year old me stayed alive for? Is this what 16 year old me would want for 19 year old me (who has since seen Amity twice)? I realized not. Yesterday I was in my international relations class when I looked around the class and wondered what it would be like to be a normal person with a normal life, to not have to deal with this. It was in that moment that I decided to I would leave my position.
I am truly disappointed in the way that I have been treated by both other AS student employees, AS administration, and the university’s administration. All across campus undocumented students are assured they will receive the university’s support. Undocumented students are assured they are equal to U.S. citizens in the university’s eyes but I have shown that that is not true. So many people across campus were excited to learn that I had been elected to my position last spring because in doing so I became the first undocumented student in any position on the AS Board of Directors. I was pushed to leave my position and now I worry about the message this sends to future undocumented students not just on Western’s campus but all across the state.
You may be asking yourself- how I can I support Ana right now? I’ll tell you. Don’t text or message me about this, because one I am the worst at reply to texts and messages, two I don’t want to hear it, and three there’s a high chance I don’t want anything to do with you. If you see me out in public don’t stare at me, don’t come up to me, don’t try to talk to me about it. This is the reason I cut off all my hair last quarter- in hopes that people wouldn’t recognize me and stop coming up to me. Just let me live my life. If you’re someone in my life- support my decision, call me to talk about it, let’s go shopping or for food.
I know I let down many people with this decision, but I will not apologize for doing what is best for me. Since this whole thing started, I had to start taking two different antidepressants in addition to my anxiety medication. My academics suffered. I didn’t have time or energy to keep going to mariachi practice. While everyone thought about me and my situation once in a blue moon I was living in a nightmare.
People ask me what is next for me. I do not know. I’ll live my best life. I’ll focus on academics and go back to mariachi. I’ll throw myself into the wonderful world of emoness, of Marvel, DC, and metalcore music and I’ll be happy. For now I leave you all with lyrics from Olde English 800 by The Amity Affliction. “When your aspirations crumble at the feet of your tormentors, and your jaw feels like it’s breaking, and you’re holding onto something that does far more harm than good, well then you’ve reached the pits of hell.// I took this journey through the mirror, took a chance to take my time, just to watch the cold hard steel of burden come and break my heart and spine.”
Undocumented, unafraid, & unapologetic,
Ana Ramirez