( CNN ) There are many things that immigrants could teach those of us who are U.S.-born . The biggest lesson may simply to be grateful for our rights and privileges . That includes the little things we take for granted . Like a small plastic card that not only allows us to drive on public roadways but also provides us a sense of identity . Imagine not having a driver 's license and not being able to obtain one because the government prohibits it . Erika Andiola does n't have to imagine . Until recently , the 27-year-old Phoenix resident and co-director of the Arizona Dream Coalition was barred from having a driver 's license by Arizona . The reason : she is an undocumented immigrant born in Mexico and brought here as a child by her mother . Given that she arrived in the United States when she was 11 and has lived on this side of the U.S.-Mexico border longer than she lived on the other side , Andiola considers herself an American and this country her home . Under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals , which was initiated by the Obama administration , more than half a million undocumented youth were given a two-year reprieve from deportation and a work permit . Andiola is one of the recipients , having been granted DACA protection in November 2012 and a renewal since then . From that point , had she lived in another state , the process for getting a driver 's license might have been much smoother . But she lives in Arizona , which -- in the 20 years from 1989 to 2009 -- welcomed illegal immigrants and their labor to build homes in Phoenix , work in restaurants in Tucson and make beds at ski lodges in Flagstaff but then tried to expel them when their chores were done . To push them out the door , legislators passed a spiteful law in 2010 that roped local police into enforcing federal immigration statutes and essentially sanctioned ethnic profiling of Latinos . In August 2012 , on the same day that DACA took effect , Arizona Gov . Jan Brewer issued an executive order preventing the program 's recipients from obtaining driver 's licenses or other public `` benefit . '' Brewer 's order was challenged in court . Two years later , in July 2014 , a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the Arizona policy as a violation of the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution . With that , the estimated 22,000 DACA recipients who are also residents of the Grand Canyon State were free to apply for driver 's licenses and take their driving tests like anyone else . Andiola got her Arizona license earlier this month , after paying a $ 25 fee that she 'll have to pay every two years each time she renews it . I wondered what traveling that road taught her about that piece of plastic she carries with her . And I was curious about whether she had given any thought to how the native-born see driver 's licenses compared to people like her . `` There is a pretty big difference , '' Andiola said . `` I think it 's because we fought really hard for it . People born here might not ever think about their driver 's license unless they buy a drink or get stopped by police . For us , it 's a reminder of the fruits of our labor . Think about how many minds we had to change so people could come out of the shadows . '' Other privileges get taken for granted by the native-born , she said , such as the ability to apply for financial aid to attend college or pay the lower in-state tuition that you 're entitled to pay as a state resident . `` When it comes to higher education , I do n't think a lot of people really understand what they have unless they have to struggle to get it , '' Andiola said . `` I have nephews who are citizens . I 'm trying to make them understand how it was such a big deal , in my case , to attend college and pay in-state tuition and have it taken away . It was a big hurdle , and I almost dropped out . I want them to understand some of the privileges they have . '' Finally , there 's the right to vote . Undocumented immigrants ca n't do it , and yet many of those U.S. citizens who can do n't bother going to the polls . `` Look at what we 've done to bring change , '' she said . `` Imagine how much someone can accomplish when they vote . A lot of Americans do n't learn the political process . And you do n't feel you need to until you struggle to drive , to vote , to just be allowed to stay with your family . '' Listen to her , America . This is an exemplary country , and it 'll stay that way as long as those of us who were born here and have these rights and privileges learn to appreciate them , treat them with care and put them to good use .
Latinos : A driver 's license is not only about transportation but about identity . He says it took a hard fight for young immigrants to win the right to driver 's licenses in Arizona .