Undocumented: My Journey to Princeton and Harvard and Life as a Heart Surgeon

by Harold Fernandez

My Journey to Princeton and Harvard represents the first time a former undocumented immigrant has told his own story of immigration and struggle in America on the way to finding acceptance and success at some of the highest levels of American society. Thus it shows not only what our nation has to offer to undocumented immigrants but also what they have to offer us. Dr. Fernandez—today a leading heart surgeon on Long Island—tells of growing up in a poor neighborhood in the drug capital of Medellín, Colombia, being illegally smuggled into the United States by his parents, excelling in school, getting accepted into Princeton University, seeing his undocumented immigrant status become known and then be resolved with the help of U.S. politicians, attending Harvard Medical School, undergoing a residency program at New York’s famous Bellevue Hospital, and embarking on a surgical career through which he gives back to society for all he has received. Beyond telling his own inspirational story, Fernandez puts a human face on the issue of undocumented immigration and reaffirms the American Dream of freedom, hard work, and success.

296 pages, Paperback

First published May 8, 2012

About the author

Harold Fernandez is Professor of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at the Hofstra- Northwell Health School of medicine. He is also Chief of Cardiovascular Surgery at Southside Hospital, and the Northwell Health System Director of Surgical Heart Failure. For the last several years, he has been selected by Castle-Connolly as one of the top thoracic surgeons in New York. More recently, he has developed a web-based program, "Show del Doctor Fernandez: Su Salud en Espanol", to inform the Hispanic community about a wide variety of health-related topics.

Dr. Fernandez has received national publicity for his story as an undocumented immigrant who has made his childhood dream of helping others a reality. He came to the United States at age of 13 from Medellin, Colombia in an epic journey that included risking his life in a small boat through the perilous waters of the Bermuda Triangle to reach the coast of Miami, and then join his parents in New York. While living in America as an undocumented immigrant, he received a degree in Molecular Biology from Princeton University, where he was also awarded the Moses Taylor Pyne Honor Prize (the highest general distinction at Princeton), Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude. Following his Princeton years, he was accepted into the highly selective Harvard Medical School--MIT program in health sciences and technology. After graduation from Harvard, he underwent training in general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery at the New York University (NYU) Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital.

Recently, he has published a memoir entitled "Undocumented: My Journey to Princeton and Harvard and Life as a Heart Surgeon," and has been featured in national media stories, including the New York Times. Meanwhile, he has not forgotten his roots. Dr. Fernandez participates in numerous volunteer activities to improve the health of people in his community, and promote the rights of undocumented immigrants in America. Over the last ten years, Dr. Fernandez has been active in reaching out to immigrant youth to promote the importance of staying in school, and the message that with faith, hard work, passion for your dream and sacrifice everything is possible.

Dr. Fernandez is married to Sandra Yasmin Fernandez, who grew up in the same neighborhood of Barrio Antioquia, in Medellín, where Dr. Fernandez was raised. They met during one of his visits to his grandmothers. The Fernandez's have two children: Jasmine (eighteen) and Brandon (eleven).

Reviews

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a personal view of being undocumented in the United States. It makes few excuses, it pleads to excuse based on accomplishments, and points out difficulties with the system.