MURRAY, Ky. — Thousands of illegal immigrants are happy this week after President Obama announced sweeping changes to the country's immigration policies.

"I was just really excited because I didn't really know how my future was going to turn out," said Jesus, an illegal immigrant.

He is a recent Murray High School graduate and he was looking at an uncertain future until last week.

Jesus didn't want us to reveal his complete identity for concern over his status but thanks to last week's announcement by President Obama, his future is becoming clearer.

"There's a lot of smart people that don't get opportunities that will get opportunities now because of this," he said. "They're probably going to make this country a better place."

Jesus said his parents wanted to provide him and his younger sister with a better life. So, 10 years ago when he was just 8 years old, they used their passports to enter the United States legally but never left.

"They just figured, come here because we had family members in Kentucky," he said. "We just came here since it was farther away from the border, so they figured it would be a lot more safe to live a quiet life."

Jesus knows many people have strong opinions about illegal immigrants but he's hopeful what he does with this opportunity will change their minds.

"If people walked in our shoes, they would be doing the exact same thing. I will not disappoint, I hope," he said with a smile.

The Department of Homeland Security is planning to roll out the plan for immigrants to stay in the next 60 days.