Ismael

UC Berkeley Student

Sociology

 

“It’s a difficult process like my GPA definitely dropped this semester and I just wonder what would happen if I didn’t have some of these financial problems.”  

 

Ismael Chamu is the son of a migrant worker from Mexico. Ismael is a first-generation college student who, despite his normal appearance, has overcome many obstacles to graduate with a degree in sociology from UC Berkeley.

 

Financial hardships forced Ismael to navigate homelessness as a full-time college student. Because his parents were financially unable to support his two younger sisters, Ismael and his younger brother had to house them, looking for an affordable home in Hayward, which is about 1 to 1.5 hours away from Berkeley via public transportation. As Ismael comments: “Developers and renters exponentially raise the rent, making living--being able to go to bed at night--a privilege instead of a right. And so that’s how I ended up in Hayward."

 

But even in Hayward, Ismael cannot find a constant home. He rented a trailer in the driveway of a Hayward home, but because the city outlawed living in trailers, Ismael and his family were evicted and had to find new housing. Housing isn't the only difficulty that Ismael faces.

 

As an older brother, he also has increased responsibilities towards his younger sisters: “[There’s] other responsibilities of being a good brother, being able to always be there for your siblings, being able to have conversations with them...at the same time, you have to be a parent, being able to be there, being able to provide that safety." Every day, Ismael drops his two sisters off at their high school on his long trek to the UC Berkeley campus. He gives them each a hug and does his best to provide the brotherly/parental support that they need.

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The burden of being homeless and singularly supporting his younger siblings has severely impacted Ismael's academics. Because he had to drop two classes to support his family, he is short on credits to graduate. 

 

Ultimately, the spontaneity of his life and a lack of consistency and stability makes Ismael’s dream perhaps very different from many others: “My dream in the very end would be to have my own home, have a partner, have our children, you know, have our bedrooms, have a kitchen, have a restroom, see my mom and dad--my dad finally relaxing...

I’m probably gonna laugh when I find myself toward the end later on here, you know, using a trailer, a camper for camping and not for living, I’m probably gonna chuckle”.