As an immigrant from Quito, Ecuador, my dream as a child was to study abroad — a dream that came true in 1999, when I came to Nashville, Tennessee, as a high school exchange student. My host family helped me enroll at their alma mater, a Christian college, and eventually, I earned a Ph.D. focused on public opinion and migration.

I now serve as director of research at the Public Religion Research Institute, where I study how Americans view immigrants and immigration policy.

Integrating into American society was not easy, but it was enriching. I learned to value democracy, freedom of expression, the rule of law, tolerance and minority rights. I also became an informal ambassador of my own country, sharing my culture while learning about other cultures.

I felt safe studying in the U.S. and never feared deportation. I can’t imagine how international students feel today, with visas increasingly being revoked. I also ache for asylum seekers fleeing criminal violence in their home countries.

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