Co-founder

Tawheeda Wahabzada was born in Toronto, Canada to refugee parents from Afghanistan. In 1995, when Tawheeda was five, her family moved to Carson City, Nevada for better economic opportunities and work prospects. As a result, Tawheeda became undocumented. Growing up in Carson City, Tawheeda had both an “all-American” and Afghan upbringing, where she pursued activities such as soccer, snowboarding, and hiking, while also holding on to her cultural heritage.

It wasn’t until high school when Tawheeda learned about her status as an undocumented immigrant and as a DRAEMer. She couldn’t obtain a learner’s permit and later a driver’s license, nor could she legally work or obtain student loans. These restrictions made it even more difficult for Tawheeda to pursue her dreams and her independence. Despite these limitations, Tawheeda attended the University of Nevada, Reno, where she graduated in 2012 with a BA in International Affairs and French. At that time, Tawheeda was ready to leave the United States due to multiple failed attempts in passing the DREAM Act or any immigration reform. However, on June 15, 2012, a few weeks after she graduated, President Obama introduced DACA in a Rose Garden speech. Tawheeda ultimately decided to stay in the US, where she became a DACA recipient. DACA opened up so many possibilities for Tawheeda: she obtained her master’s degree from the LBJ School of Public Affairs, she was able to travel abroad for work purposes, and she had the opportunity to intern for the late-Senator Harry Reid. Most importantly, she was able to lawfully work.

Despite these opportunities, DACA was only a temporary solution. There is no pathway to permanent residency, and Tawheeda had to think about her future in two year increments. Tawheeda could not think about her future beyond those two years, and she was aware that DACA is fragile. In 2017, when the Trump Administration announced its attempt to rescind DACA, Tawheeda began to consider leaving the United States. She was tired of being under constant stress about the future of her status— and those fears and stress has clouded her ability to live and to enjoy life. Most importantly, she did not want to spend several more years waiting for an idea— that idea being immigration reform. Tawheeda ultimately left the United States in February 2020, where she is based in Toronto, working for a US-based global development NGO. In 2021, Tawheeda eventually co-founded ONWARD (formerly known as Departed Dreamers), a volunteer-run network that provides community and professional support to former DREAMers/DACA recipients who left the United States, or are considering leaving. For Tawheeda, leaving the United States while facing the ten-year bar was a very difficult and lonely decision— she doesn’t want other DREAMers to feel alone in this journey.

Co-founder

On December 2001, five months after Eun Suk (Jason) Hong’s 10th birthday, Jason’s mother brought her daughter and son to the United States of America in pursuit of the American Dream, a land where her children may strive in academia and accomplish their respective dreams: A privilege where not every nation can provide for their people.

Jason lived in three different states until 2019: New Jersey, Delaware, and New York. Like many Dreamers, he was not aware of his immigration status until he turned 18. His priority was clear: Study hard, go to a prestigious university, and become a prominent professional. Then the reality surfaced when Jason turned 18 where his status mattered more than he could possibly imagine. Inability to legally work in the US was just a tip of an iceberg, the inability to visit his family back in South Korea was the least of his problem, the inability to get health insurance and visit healthcare professionals somehow became a norm, and ability to plan for his future in the country he grew up in suddenly became a luxury he couldn’t afford. Jason realized the concept of the American Dream he’s been told for nearly two decades was nothing but a figment of his imagination.

When the Obama administration introduced the DACA program in 2012, Jason witnessed a small hope he could rely on. A hope he could finally strive for his dreams. Only to realize how fragile and feeble the status was when the Trump administration announced to dismantle the only thing that gave him an opportunity to continue moving forward. It was the hardest and most brutal wake-up call for Jason- he did not have control of his life in the country he consider home.

In August 2019, Jason left the United States to pursue a Master in Business Administration and Master in Business Analytics and Big Data at IE Business School in Madrid, Spain. Upon graduation, he now operates two startups in FMCG and PropTech and has co-founded ONWARD (formerly known as Departed Dreamers) to help other Dreamers who are leaving the United States to provide personal and professional support.

Co-founder

Monsy Hernandez was born in Mexico City and lived there for nine years. Afterwards, Monsy went on to live in the United States in South Carolina. Growing up undocumented, this would not be an easy experience as South Carolina is a lock out state. Lock out states are conservative leaning states that tend to have higher restrictions for DACA recipients and immigrants.

Being undocumented is at best a difficult task and at most a traumatic experience. For Monsy it was the latter and to this day the difficulties of being undocumented have inspired them to continue advocating for immigrant’s rights. Though a DACA recipient for four years, Monsy still faced plenty of challenges in the United States such as not being able to achieve higher education or escaping the cycle of poverty that many immigrants are trapped in. The last straws came when Monsy´s mom was placed in a detention center, after which they made the decision to self-deport.

After leaving for Germany, Monsy has finally been able to build the life they always wanted along with their husband and four parrots. They are currently studying Social Work, studying to attain German fluency, and are even openly non-binary. Leaving the United States was the best choice to make. Through advocacy and Departed Dreamers they hope to raise awareness to other individuals that options are always available outside of the United States.