Jesús Carreón was born in Tijuana, Baja California, and moved to the United States at the age of seven, achieving what many considered impossible: graduating as a lawyer from Harvard University. His journey is one of perseverance, resilience, and triumph.
After crossing the border with his family, Carreón settled in San Bernardino, California. According to La Nación and several TikTok videos, his childhood was marked by extreme hardship, including sleeping on the streets and in empty rooms of friends’ houses—sometimes even spending nights in a parked car. Despite these challenges, he dreamed of studying at Harvard, inspired by a TV commercial that, to him, represented academic success.
From a young age, he worked to support his family. He sold candy outside churches, worked in a tortilla factory, restaurants, and barbershops, and later cleaned stores, held up signs on street corners, and unloaded containers in warehouses. “In my life, I faced more rejections than acceptances, but every yes was worth it,” he recalled. One of those “yes” came from Harvard, which admitted him and awarded him a scholarship.
Carreón’s first formal job was made possible by the DACA program (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), which allowed him to study and work legally in the U.S. He became the first in his family to graduate from high school and attend college, paving the way for his younger sister to follow in his footsteps.
Graduating from Harvard Law School, Carreón not only fulfilled his childhood dream but also became a symbol of what thousands of young migrants in similar circumstances can achieve. His story, shared widely across media and social networks, demonstrates how perseverance can open doors even in the toughest situations. “My advice to other Dreamers is: ‘Believe in yourselves. As long as you don’t give up, anything is possible,’” he concluded.
