Dear my American friends,

As the presidential election is rapidly approaching in the States, I can’t help but wonder what I can do. I am not a US citizen so I cannot vote. Yet still, I’d like to contribute because I want to be led by someone who has decency, integrity, and genuine care for the people and the country that I call home. Trump is not that person. You may not be aware of your precious right because you were born with it and you’ve always had it. So I’d like to share a story of my 20-year-long journey of becoming an American citizen. Through this, I’d like to invite you to pause and notice the gift of the civic right you have. It is my hope that perhaps in that place of acknowledging and appreciating, you are inspired to take action.

It was 17 years ago, I set foot in the States as a freshman at Brown University. I was 19 years old. While this -- an international student going to a US school -- may appear rather unimportant to you, it was a culmination of years of hard work. I first wanted to study abroad in the States when I was 13 years old. It took me a couple of years to convince my parents to send me abroad because my family had never visited the States, didn’t know anyone in the States, did not speak any English and perhaps most importantly, the education in the States cost a fortune compared to tuition in Korea. It never deterred me though. By the time I was able to convince my parents, my parents said “Yes, if this is your dream, we will support you. Just one thing, US Dollars are so expensive so how about Canada?” I postponed my dream of living in the States and went to Canada instead. As I neared high school graduation, I was offered scholarships to attend universities in Canada. Even though it was a more financially sound decision to stay in Canada, my heart was set on going to the States. I had garnered an admission to attend Brown University, but alas, my F-1 visa (aka student visa) got rejected. The bank statement that was required as part of the visa application did not show enough balance to pay for Brown tuition. So we borrowed money to show an increased balance. A few months later, I was in Rhode Island to embark on my American dream.

That F-1 visa was only the beginning of my alien status in the States that lasted for the next thirteen years. Graduating from college, I snatched a competitive offer to join Citi as an investment banking analyst in New York City. What turned out to be even more competitive than banking was the H1B (aka foreign national temporary work visa) lottery process. As luck would have it, I happened to win the lottery in 2007. I was ecstatic that I could stay in the States. My classmate got unlucky so had to pack up and move to London in a matter of two weeks because there was no such thing as a grace period. Since the H1B status was tied to employment, whenever I interviewed for a new job, my first question was, “Do you sponsor H1B?” When I joined startups in 2012, I had to persuade them to sponsor my H1B because they had no idea what it was. I am deeply grateful that they looked into it, invested in the process, and sponsored me.

One of them even sponsored my permanent residence application. In 2016, thirteen years after I first set foot in this country and two years after my application, I finally received a green card. That day, I cried with relief: “I won't be kicked out of the country even if I get fired! I am safe now!”

The next step is to qualify for naturalization, and this requires me to wait five years to apply. When friends ask me if I want to become a US citizen even in a time like this where Americans are not welcome in many countries, my answer is yes. I am committed to earning that right because I want to help make the US a greater place than the place I first arrived.

What made me fall in love with this country? To that 13-year-old girl, America represented the land of opportunities. It was the country where you could dream big and you could achieve all your dreams. This was the country with the nickname of the melting pot, where you were accepted for who you were, regardless of your skin color, background, or family of origin, as long as you worked hard. This sense of ambition, opportunity, freedom, equality, and diversity was what attracted me most, even at such a young age, even though I did not speak English. Yes, I was optimistic and naive. Nonetheless, a lot of what I believed has proven to be true. Today I feel accepted in my communities. I have been able to create opportunities for myself. I have the freedom to respectfully agree to disagree with others to embrace the diversity in opinions. That girl who got her student visa rejected because she didn’t have enough money in her bank account now can afford a home (and a dog) in San Francisco. In many ways, I am living the American dream that the young girl once dreamed of. I am so grateful to this country for giving me these opportunities and allowing me to dream big. My story is still unfolding, and I hope the rest of my story will be told in the United States.

Of course, I am aware of the dark realities in 2020 -- pandemic, systemic racism, gender inequality, police violence, historic unemployment rate, to name a few. I am hopeful that it is the United States, if any country, that can make change happen because we care. The time is now to demonstrate your care by voting and electing a leader who inspires a change.

It is from this love and care for this country that I am inspired to do my part to bring about a change. We need a new leader who can bring people together, lead us during this trying time, and “overcome this season of darkness” as Joe Biden said. I want little girls and boys to dream big in an environment that is politically, emotionally, physically, and environmentally safe. We cannot make the same mistake again -- of being complacent -- because the unthinkable may happen again as it did in 2016. So I am doing my part, as a permanent resident who cannot participate in the election, to remind you of your precious right, your birthright to vote. I ask you: Please register to vote, especially if you are in swing states -- Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, etc. You have the power to manifest the future through voting. At the Democratic National Convention in August 2020, Joe Biden said, “Let history be able to say that the end of this chapter of American darkness began here tonight as love and hope and light join in the battle for the soul of the nation.” Let’s make history together - our history that is filled with decency, integrity, and democracy.

With love and light,

Aerin