Today we’d like to introduce you to Katiera Parsons.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in the United States. I came here when I was 6 years old with my mother and siblings. I played sports here, learned to read temperatures in Fahrenheit, and I graduated high school in Indiana. I ate biscuits and gravy and bacon and other American foods for breakfast all my life. I even started a family when I was 19, having my own children here in the United States. It wasn’t until I was 25 and ran into serious problems with ICE that I realized even though I was raised here, and even though I feel like I belong here, I am not welcomed here by everyone. This is the story of a dreamer, an illegal immigrant who—like many of us— had no idea until it was too late.
The day I turned 16 was a day I will never forget. Every teenager in “America” wants to do two things when they reach the legal age. Drive—get a license and a vehicle of their own— to hang out with friends and be “free” of the restrictions of catching a ride with mom or dad. The second obvious one is money— I wanted to get a job! I wanted the luxury of paying for my own trips to the movies or McDonald’s for school lunches… In fact, for two years, I had dreams of working inside of the fast-food franchise itself- I wanted those fries for 50% off, and I wanted them bad. Both of these things were the ultimate determination of my freedom and ability to transition into the adult world (at least in my mind.) You can imagine how my world came crashing down when I found out I would not be spending my final high school years doing much of value to my future.
My mother was another story in itself, hardworking but ignorant to many things. She had never acquired an immigration attorney or asked any of the questions needed to find out how to go about transitioning my brother and I to the states legally. We had been here so long already I also think in a way she feared it. Being a teenager with no money, very ignorant myself, I assumed that I had no means of helping myself. Looking back, I wish I had told somebody, and reached out for advice….
Fast forward though to the age of 23 and I’m now married and have been for two years, I’ve reached the legal time of marriage to apply for my paperwork-finally! The only setback was money- as my husband worked very hard but was the sole supporter of our household of four. My mother offered to pay for an attorney and filing of the paperwork. One day in May of 2019, my mother comes to pick me up to see the attorney and she falls on my front porch. Her leg broke in two places causing a blood clot to move up her body. She had a major stroke in the hospital and our life was forever changed. The following years were rough—between Temporary custody of my younger siblings, my mom’s therapy, moving state to state due to financial struggles, my growing more and more by the day-tumultuous marriage, oh and then COVID-19 hitting the world simultaneously—there was too much going on for us to keep up. It felt like all odds were directly against us. Against me. We lost a home; my mother lost a home and many times we came close to losing out children. The last thing I worried about was my paperwork- and to be honest it was never affordable in that time.
This year started a whole new string of events when a traffic stop resulted in me finding out I had a suspended license and ICE being called. I am lucky to be on a program that allows me to stay home with my children, but many are not given this opportunity, and I don’t know how long it will last… this is why I chose to put my video on TikTok. I didn’t think it would get millions of views or even thousands— but at the same time when I was recording it, it was so emotional because there are so many families like mine being torn apart from each other so suddenly. I have been working towards gathering everything I need in order to have my paperwork together (hopefully before my deportation trial gets here.) In the meantime, I just want to spend as much time as I can with my children, and I want to continue to bring awareness to families like mine via social media… TikTok has actually become like a large group of friends to me, and that has helped me find peace in my entire situation.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have been many struggles Mentally, physically, financially
They say it always gets worse before it gets better, and I believe that.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am mostly a social media influencer known for my life and beauty routines, but my passion is music. I make music that people can relate to, music that tells a story and opens up on the topic of mental health. I think music is like water- essential for our bodies and health. Essential for the earth to maintain balance. I am so proud to be able to share my struggles and triumphs with other people who may be going through similar things… I am proud to have met so many amazing people and have so many people following my journey in life.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I feel like hard work, efficient goal settings and most importantly positivity— confidence in your abilities— manifest the life you want!
Contact Info:
- Website: Linktr.ee/katiera6
- Instagram: Instagram.com/katiera6
- SoundCloud: SoundCloud.com/katiera6
