Jose Manuel Godinez-Samperio came to the United States with his parents when he was 9 years old.
His parents overstayed their visas, and he lived the majority of his life in Tampa, where he would eventually become known as “a dreamer,” after the Obama administration enacted DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
Although Samperio was valedictorian of Armwood High School and would go on to graduate from FSU’s law school with honors, he had to wait for the state Supreme Court to decide whether or not he could practice law in Florida because he is not a U.S. citizen. He shares his story on this week's StoryCorps Tampa Bay.
Music:
“A Walk” by Tycho, from the album Dive
Translation assistance from Yoselis Ramos
StoryCorps Tampa Bay airs every Monday on WUSF 89.7 at 8:35 a.m. during Morning Edition and at 5:44 p.m. during All Things Considered.
