Every year, Moorpark College’s “One Campus, One Book” group, under the coordination of English Faculty Roza Gabrielyan and Tutorial Services Specialist Crystal Salas, selects a book to be featured by the college.
This selection results in copies being distributed to staff and students, professors being encouraged to the text in their classes and events featuring the author throughout the academic year.
This year’s chosen book is “Illegally Yours” by Rafael Agustin, a captivating memoir about how, as a teenager, he discovered that his parents had kept his undocumented status a secret and how that revelation changed his life.
Augustin is a celebrated writer known for contributing to the award-winning CW Television show “Jane The Virgin.” He also serves as the CEO of the Latino Film Institute and, notably, is a community college graduate, making his life and career relevant to most Moorpark College campus students. Crystal Salas explained the reasoning behind this year’s book selection.
“We chose this book for One Campus, One Book because we thought there are so many intersections through [Agustin’s] work that we thought would connect to adolescent readers, to emerging adult readers, to older readers.”
Salas’ words held true, as the capstone event for Latinx Heritage Month was Augustin speaking at the Performing Arts Main Stage, which was well-attended on Oct. 17, 2023. The audience was comprised of individuals and groups, including professors and their classes attending during their lecture period.
Following an introduction by Moorpark College President Julius Sokenu, Agustin began with a sense of ease and levity, reflecting his background as a comedic writer.
“Today you get to hear from an okay student, who the federal system was not designed to support, and how sheer determination, hard work and building community made all the difference in my life,” Agustin said.
This introduction touched on the main themes of his talk: his career, his life and his belief that his mediocrity as a student early on in his life was not because of apathy or laziness but stemmed from marginalized communities commonly masquerading their trauma.
As an immigrant with his undocumented status hidden from him in his early years, he grew up in a family that frequently relocated due to his parents’ undocumented status, which resulted in unstable job situations. Agustin stressed that his story speaks to the essence of what it means to be American.
“[My book] is about how an ‘all-American’ family lived their lives and they weren’t American at all. The theme was obviously immigration, but ultimately to me, it’s about what it meant to be American.”
By sharing his experiences of growing up in America and embodying the spirit of being “American,” despite his official immigration status not reflecting that, Agustin painted a vivid portrait of a life shared by those in similar situations: one of not belonging, of the fear and anxiety of being undocumented, and how these things limit your options and who you’re able to share it with.
However, by highlighting how important community is and how self-advocacy and help from faculty and others helped him in his formative years, he shared an inspiring narrative of persistence and triumph in a system that could not account for him.
After concluding his speech, he discussed with Crystal Salas, delving into various facets of his work, career and personal experiences. They explored themes of equity and community, works that inspired him and his experiences in community colleges.
Closing the event, Salas invoked the phrase “Si, Se puede,” a motto commonly associated with the United Farm Workers and other activist groups. Agustin repeated it, and in this they relate this event about immigration to those who came before them, who worked for rights for immigrant laborers who were exploited, and how their story, Agustin’s and those that will follow, continue to hold immeasurable significance in an America that immigrants founded.
For more information about Agustin and his work, visit his website and learn more about his book here.
