by Isabella Corretjer
Such a vivid memory, yet one of the few I have. The wind is blowing, and I’m holding hands with my great aunt, our feet sinking with each step as we walk on the white sand along the bright blue Caribbean shore. I was so young, just starting to explore everything the world had to offer with wide-eyed wonder. We walk into the ocean, looking for sea urchins and other creatures with each step into the current. Crashing waves and our laughter ring in my ears. The wind blows my hair back as I turn to see my grandmother calling out to us, telling us that food is ready. We rush inside and sit down at the table, looking out the window as the sun warms our skin. The fronds of the coconut trees bend to the windy weather, and I smile to myself as I get back to my tostones and rice and beans. This was my home, but I never imagined I would say that more than once.
I was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico on June 17, 2008. As I grew older, my parents realized I would soon start school and began worrying about the impoverished education system and the limited opportunities awaiting my future. My abuela pushed my mom to move us out of Puerto Rico to America, for me to have more than my parents or grandparents ever did. But this was something that she couldn’t have imagined doing until my dad secured his own job in South Carolina. He moved by himself and spent five months sleeping on the floors and couches of others, until he had things stable for my mother and me to follow. When I was around two, we moved to South Carolina and never looked back. I do not remember much about Puerto Rico, but I do believe living here was the best choice for me. Now, as I grow older, I become more aware of the world and what I can no longer ignore. I wonder if South Carolina still offers the same chances my parents believed we were coming here for, especially when I look at the cost of living and how much money is needed just to live comfortably.
I always believed South Carolina to be the Palmetto State, where the sun warms the soil below our feet, and nourishes the lives of those who call it home. We are all seeds buried deep in the ground meant to grow, but with this economy, we dry up. The same things my parents always hoped for me to have and achieve seem increasingly difficult for those around me every day. Each day I walk into my class, I see new students from places as near as Charlotte and from as far as Venezuela. I am now aware that these people who moved here seeking a better future are currently struggling with rising rent, stagnant wages, and limited access to quality healthcare. With all these new residents, South Carolina is experiencing a significant housing affordability crisis with home prices rising faster than wages. This mismatch makes it harder for middle and lower-income residents to find housing they can afford, and this issue is especially pronounced in rapidly growing cities near my family and me in Lancaster, like Charleston and Columbia. South Carolina’s rural areas often face some of the most severe challenges regarding access to healthcare, education, and job opportunities. These areas have high poverty rates and low levels of economic mobility. While urban areas like Charleston are booming, rural communities are left behind, making it harder for residents to find opportunities to improve their lives. My family is fortunate to make ends meet despite these challenges, but for others, these pose bigger problems that must be addressed.
A few months ago, I met a girl who had just moved here from Colombia. She shared her story with me of what it was like trying to adjust to South Carolina. I immediately shared how much I love it here and all my experiences since moving, but her experiences were her struggles. The bills were so much for her family that she had to have a job after school to help her family make ends meet. Hearing her story shifted my perspective as it made me reflect on the theme of shared experiences among immigrants, but not in the prideful way it once was. Our conversation made me realize the urgent need for change. It fueled me with a sense of wanting to help others and for them to have all those opportunities my family fought so hard for me to have.
When I think about what brought my family to South Carolina, I am reminded of the hopes they had for a better future. They believed that moving here would open doors to better education, greater opportunities, and a higher quality of life. And for a while, it did. Like me and my parents before me, we have always believed in the potential of South Carolina and its people to overcome obstacles. The biggest way I choose to give back to my community is through environmental conservation, as both a volunteer and president of my school’s Palmetto Pride club, where we organize community cleanups to beautify our home. As someone who grew up with the opportunities this state has to offer, these experiences have shaped my aspirations for the land I now belong to and reinforced my commitment to the community. I feel a moral responsibility to make sure these opportunities continue to exist for future families, just as they did for me and my own family. We went through a lot to live in the Palmetto State, and to us, it’s beautiful. We want it to be beautiful to others who come here from far away.
As I look out the window of my car, I am reminded of my days in Puerto Rico and the difference in my current views. However, I am also reminded of the journey and sacrifices made to put me where I am now. So as I look out the window today, I love the ability to pass the school that has provided me with my current education, the houses filled with new people I have met and friends I have made, and the roads that lead me back to where I know I belong.
About Isabella Corretjer
Isabella Corretjer is a junior at Indian Land High School in Lancaster. She takes dual enrollment courses at the University of South Carolina Lancaster, where Dr. Sherietta Lane is her English professor. The daughter of Tahiri and Chris Lester, Isabella is involved with mock trial, FFA, and the Palmetto Pride and Red Cross clubs. She plans to attend a four-year college and study animal science.