“El Oso” is how 22-year-old Angel Barragan is known among his peers. Standing at a rugged 5’ 11” and 250 pounds with a dark, burly beard, Barragan truly lives up to his nickname.
However, those closest to him would more likely describe him as a giant teddy bear.
“If Angel is in the room it feels like home—always checking in on how people are doing, cracking jokes, and creating a warming and welcoming atmosphere,” his best friend Nikko Oliver said.
Born in Michoacán, Mexico, Barragan moved to Redwood City at age 10, where he resides today. With a single mother, two younger siblings, and a newly born nephew, Barragan had to quickly learn how to adapt to the role of head of his household.
Much of his early life was dictated by the social stigma of his legal standing in the country he now called home. Like the roughly one million undocumented youth in the United States, Barragan felt stuck at life’s crossroads, unsure of which path he was supposed to pursue, given all the legal limitations set in place before him.
Barragan found his much needed support system through his mentors and teachers at his public charter school in East San Jose, Summit Rainier. There he was encouraged to pursue a higher education and with the help of some “anonymous angels,” Barragan was awarded multiple scholarships that would enable him to begin attending San Francisco State University.
By January 2013 he was in his third year of college and the financial burden of paying for his education was weighing heavy. After thoughtful consideration and support from his family and friends, Barragan decided to apply for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status.
The moment he read his approval notice is one he recalls vividly.
“It wasn’t until that moment, when I became empowered, when my deferred action came through,” Barragan said. “I didn’t believe it.”
From that point forward he turned his life into a domino effect of successes. Within two years he became the president of the Ethnic Studies Resource Center, joined and became the vice president of his fraternity Phi Iota Alpha, received his black belt accreditation in karate, bought his first motorcycle, became a published poet, and received his bachelor’s degree for his double majors in Spanish and Latino Studies from SFSU.
He continued his education by entering a Masters program and pursuing his teaching credentials through the University of San Francisco. In the fall of 2014, he became a Spanish teacher at Summit Reiner. There he taught alongside some of his previous teachers who had supported his dreams just years before.
However, the success did not come without struggle. Like all DACA recipients, Barragan’s work permit and temporary legality is only valid for two years at a time.
In December 2014, he paid the nearly five hundred-dollars in application fees and submitted his renewal status. By March of 2015 he still had not received any sign of being reapproved. His driver’s license, work permit, and life were all placed on indefinite hold.
The looming uncertainty plagued his every thought for those four months. It is a struggle that many applicants endure while being blinded by hope and overwhelmed with fear.
After desperate calls to immigration lawyers and expedition denials, his approved notice finally surfaced on March 26, 2015. He was allowed to regain some control over his life.
As Barragan’s life slowly resumes, one thing is certain: His light emanates in his work as a teacher, friend, and mentor.
“Angel is not the type of person to pull others down so he can shine brighter, but someone who will bring people so we can shine together,” Oliver said.
He details all of his personal struggles through spoken-word poetry and writing and inspires his students to do the same.
Although Barragan’s immigration status remains confined to two-year periods, if his past is any indication, he will make the most out of that time.