Rodrigo.

• When did you come to the United States?

I came to the US February 10^th 2001, I was 12 years old. I pretty much came to New York and went straight to Boston after arriving in the United States.

• Where did you come from?

I came from Brazil, from Minas Gerais

• Where do you live?

Now I live in Lynn with some roommates, and my family lives in Peabody. Since im 22 I decided it was time to move out and live my life. I’m living with a friend who owns the place.

• Where are you going to school?

Right now I’m not going to school because I graduated high school and can’t go to college because I don’t have papers. But I went to Peabody High School and their middle school too.

• What are you studying?

I would have done criminal justice that’s all I wanted to do. I got friends who are lawyers, who have been corrections agents, friends all over the force and I want to follow in their footsteps. I want to be something that will serve the community in law enforcement, doesn’t matter if with the department, or at a correction facility, but main goal would be to become a police officer.

• What are your hobbies?

Since I was a teen I liked doing stuff with bikes. I love bikes (motorcycles) my roommate owns a bike shop, and I love boxing, have some amateur fights once in a while, and when I’m not at work I’m in the gym. There’s not much more I do because all I can do is work and work out since I can’t go to school

• What would you like to do when you graduate?

My dream is after I get everything straightened out and figure out the rest of my life I always wanted to go to Thailand and visit there, it’s one of my biggest dreams and obviously get into the force. I been trying t get into armed forces but cant because I don’t have papers and can’t get into the army but now it’s late for me to even want to do it, and when I turned 21 I figured it was really too late for me to get into it.

• Have you ever been in deportation proceedings?

No I have never. I don’t know anywhere else but here, I can’t go anywhere my Portuguese is at a 5^th grade level, I came way too young but unfortunately to this day I still can’t do anything about it.