Diane Guerrero was just 14 years old when she came home to an empty apartment. Her parents had been taken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and would soon be deported to their native Colombia. “My family unit essentially died that day,” she says. 

Now 29, Diane has recurring roles two successful television shows. She plays inmate Maritza Ramos on Orange is the New Black and smart aleck Lina on Jane the Virgin. But this success is new to Diane. Most of her teens and twenties were spent working any job she could get her hands on, dodging loan collectors, and keeping her family drama a secret. “You would never know that I was going through such sadness,” she says, “I made sure that nobody would find me out.”

Keeping everything bottled up only worked for so long. In her junior year of college, she started to drink heavily and cut herself. “I used that as a coping mechanism,” Diane reflects, “or a way to self-sabotage myself.” As her life and relationships started to fall apart around her, Diane finally found a positive outlet in acting classes. And seeing a therapist didn’t hurt. 

Diane’s own life is stable now, but her family is still in a precarious place. Her parents are still unable to enter the U.S., even as visitors. And they separated shortly after they were deported. Dealing with their split has been an ongoing element of Diane’s emotional recovery. “It definitely affected my relationships and how I dealt with people,” she acknowledges, “and what I considered to be love or forever.”