# @natgeo on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CM45VeKDNUE
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/11685329-natgeo-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/bacafee69e.jpg
- **Posted:** 2021-03-26T16:40:40.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** National Geographic (@NatGeo) — https://gondola.cc/NatGeo

## Caption

Photos by Karla Gachet kchete77 / "If they (U.S. government) don't want me here it’s their loss. We are overachievers, extraordinary people, and we give so much to this country. We went to school and we are trained." - Eli Cortés

Eli, 26, came to the U.S. when he was almost two from the small town of Tepiapulco, in the state of Hidalgo, in Mexico. When he was young he wanted to be an astronaut; he studied French, accounting, and finally decided on political science with an emphasis on public policy at Cal State Northridge. He grew up in L.A.'s Koreatown, and believes this country should celebrate diversity. Eli lost his job at a restaurant when the pandemic started, and his father, a plumber/handyman, needed his help on a project. Eli says people haven't stopped calling his dad to come fix things during the pandemic. He feels they are putting their health on the line, but he also feels good to be an essential worker and serve the community.

Images: Family photo of Eli around the time he came to the U.S.; Eli remodeled a bathroom with his father Jose at a house in the Marina del Rey area of Los Angeles; Eli hikes to Eagle Rock at Topanga State Park in July 2020. Hiking is one of his hobbies.

This project was created by kchete77 and ivankphoto with the support of the natgeo Covid-19 Emergency Fund for Journalists. #DACA #dacadreamers #dacaessentialworkers #HOMEisHERE

Check out Nat Geo's link in bio for more on this story.

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## Tags

dacaessentialworkers, daca, homeishere, dacadreamers

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