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“ When I first realized I could go to college it was a surreal experience. It seemed like all the hard work had paid off. Receiving the Hispanic Scholarship Fund was a huge relief because it allowed me the opportunity to continue my education without having to worry too much about thet tuition.” Despite decades having past since her college days, Wendy still sounded grateful for HSF. Like many undocumented immigrants, SHe had an unsure future after graduation and one of her biggest worries was college and her future. Wendy Martinez was raised in Cumming, Georgia after being brought by her parents to the U.S. from Mexico to provide her a better future than their own. Her mother worked tirelessly as cleaning personnel at a company and her father
as a construction worker to provide the best they could to her and her brother. Her parent’s hard work inspired Wendy to strengthen her academic effort and pursue a higher education. As a high school student, she became motivated to take AP level classes because she knew an education was the only way to achieve a better life for herself. Her mother becamer her biggest supporter and it was that support that led her to look for opportunities like the HSF for the necessary financial aid to achieve her goals. Defying her odds, Wendy was able to earn her degree at Eastern Connecticut State University with the help of various scholarships. It was there where she discovered her passion for Art History which led to a career as a museum curator that helped her learn more about the world around her. Presently, Wendy presides as a professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where she teaches art history as well as being a contributor to the community. Her focus being on the underprivileged children who deserve an education for their own growth. Her commitment to community service has led to various acknowledgements and accolades like the Governor’s Hometown Award and the Jefferson Award, for her contribution to her community and its impact. Awards like these demonstrate the effect Mrs. Martinez and others like her can have on the community around them and the benefits of a higher education.
Part Three of the book “Just Like Us” written by Helen Thorpe is comprised of illegal undocumented individuals residing in Denver Colorado. The individuals consist of a group of four Mexican young adults all with the dream of one day attending college and finally obtaining a legal status within the United States. In this portion of the readings, Yadira, Marisela, Clara, and Elissa are entering their senior year at their University and have defined the odds of successfully completing college while maintaining an illegal status. Helen Thorpe clearly demonstrates a passion in tracking individuals that are determined to become legal citizens within society; however, lack the proper advocacy and documentation to do so. Part Three of the book envelops the complexity of maintaining a legal status among society members through the lives of these four influential young ladies striving to achieve higher education in the
In Subtractive Schooling: US-Mexican Youth and the Politics of Caring, Angela Valenzuela investigates immigrant and Mexican American experiences in education. Valenzuela mentions differences in high schools between U.S born youth and immigrants such as how immigrants she interviewed seemed to achieve in school as they feel privileged to achieve secondary education. However, she found that her study provided evidence of student failure due to schools subtracting resources from these youths. Both are plagued by stereotypes of lacking intellectual and linguistic traits along with the fear of losing their culture. As a Mexican American with many family members who immigrated to the U.S to pursue a higher education, I have experience with Valenzuela’s
There are a great number of students who face obstacles when crossing the border into college. Unfortunately Donna Beegle was one of them. Beegle faced barriers such as poverty, lack of middle class knowledge, and multiple responsibilities. Donna Beegle was facing immense difficulties due to her poverty even after receiving welfare resources. She was not able to take good care of her children and family. As a single parent, Beegle had hard time paying rent, utilities, transportation, basic needs, and providing nutritious food for her children. Due to non-payment her lights was cut and was also evicted (Beegle 139). In acquiring knowledge, she also had her welfare
Part Three of the book “Just Like Us” written by Helen Thorpe is comprised of illegal undocumented individuals residing in Denver Colorado. The individuals consist of a group of four Mexican young adults all with the dream of one day attending college and finally obtaining a legal status within the United States. In this portion of the readings, Yadira, Marisela, Clara, and Elissa are entering their senior year at their University and have defined the odds of successfully completing college while maintaining an illegal status. Helen Thorpe clearly demonstrates a passion in tracking individuals that are determined to become legal citizens within society; however, lack the proper advocacy and documentation to do so. Part Three of the book envelops
In Lives in Limbo, Roberto G. Gonzales dissects the disastrous effects of US immigration policy on young Latina/os struggling in the often untouched, unnoticed, uncared for, American underbelly. Through a striking ethnography, Gonzalez examines 150 illuminating case-studies of young undocumented Latina/os, shedding light on their shared experience in the struggle for legitimacy in the United States - their lives, effectively, in limbo. He develops two major groups with which to classify the struggling youth: the college-goers, like Cesar, who received strong marks in high school and was able to land himself a spot within the UC system, and the early-exiters, like Silvia, who was unable to attend college, resigned to a paranoid life plagued
Even if these students have achieved the highest honors and have the brains of an engineer, they aren’t able to reach their greatest potential because they simply do not have documents. Those who are undocumented are doomed to working backbreaking jobs that pay substantially below minimum wage. Spare Parts has challenged and shown me that it takes an immigrant double, or even triple the amount of toil to achieve anything in life. These boys endeavoured through adversities that many of us will never encounter. Luis luckily had a green card, but Lorenzo, Oscar, and Cristian were all living under the fear of deportation. They all wanted more after graduating from Carl Hayden but their dreams quickly vanished because the reality was that they’re illegal immigrants. When we hear the word “immigration”, we automatically think “illegal”, but what we don’t see is that these illegal immigrants are trying to reach their own American Dreams by coming to America. As the author includes Patrick J. Buchanan’s perspective on immigrants, “...families came to the United States to leech off government services.” (35), it shows us how immigrants are perceived.
The American Dream has never been available to minority citizens as easily as it is to American-born citizens. Affirmative action was first implemented around the year 1972, however it was not widely accepted or practiced. During this time society was just getting used to including women in higher education institutions so the concept of including minorities in higher education was almost non-existent. My Beloved World, by Sonia Sotomayor shows the challenges that a first generation, Puerto Rican, lower socioeconomic female had during this time. Through her autobiography she shows the struggles she faced throughout her life, focusing on her application to college, college experience and insight into her cultural background. My Beloved World present the ideology of White Supremacy and other phenomenon’s such as structural inequality, and socioeconomic inequality that interfere with Sonia’s inability to receive preparation for college and these things show the that America has not made good on its promise of equal opportunity for all.
Jose Vargas, an undocumented immigrant, believes hard work can greatly impact the ability to gain citizenship in the United States. In the article “My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant” Vargas explains his life and how much he struggled lying his way through school and work. To persuade the reader to believe that he should be considered an American citizen, Vargas uses rhetorical strategies throughout his essay. Vargas’ use of pathos was very effective because it caused the reader to empathize for him and providing information about his background made his character more reliable through ethos, however his lack of logos made a big difference throughout his article.
Now in its 10th year of existence, the California Dream Network (CDN) has been at the forefront of immigrant youth organizing and civic engagement in Cali- fornia. A program of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), the CDN began in 2003 as an effort to reconnect and continue organizing the alumni from CHIRLA’s high school program for immigrant youth, Wise Up!, as they entered college and founded immigrant student support and advocacy groups.1 The CDN’s purpose is to address the needs of undocumented immigrant students, and to engage them in campaigns to promote social change around immigration reform and access to higher education. The CDN began as a network of 11 university- and college-based organizations serving immigrant students across the state. Today, the CDN has over 50 member organizations spanning many of California’s community colleges and universities.
Students were grouped by IQ, those who had an above average or higher were helped to go to college and those who had a low IQ’s were not given the support or the push needed to get them into college. Educators allowed low education standards and refused to see students as equals. The advisors set students sights low for the future by encouraging how service jobs were a practical choice for us Mexicans. Cleaning houses were the normal thing to do for Mexican-American females. Students were tired of the inadequate staff and the staff's lack of concern for their students. The students sent out a survey among the other students to see if they were satisfied with what they were getting from their education. The result was that the schools and instructors were not meeting the needs of the students’ more so of the Chicano students.
Undocumented students are becoming a growing outrage in the United States. It has been a constant battle amongst the students, the schools, and the Government. According to collegeboard.com, statistics shows that 65,000 undocumented students graduate from U.S. high schools each year (collegeboard.com).After graduating high school they face legal and financial barriers to higher education. This paper will address the importance of this growing outrage and discuss the following that corresponds to it.
Salinas, C. (2004). "Creating Successful Academic Programs for Chicana/o High School Migrant Students: The Role of Advocate Educators." The High School Journal 87(4): 54-65.
...shing up my junior year; I face many disadvantages like not being able to have financial aid, not able to qualify for any scholarships nor be eligible for loans.” Students later tend to alter their goals and endeavors, ultimately leading them to their dreams being differed due to the inconvenience of immigration laws.
Many cities all around the country are going to move forward and give documents to undocumented people. The city of Los Angeles approved a proposed ID card to be given to all residents of its area no matter their immigration status in the country. Even though receiving this ID it does not protect them from been deported. It will only work as a proof of residency. In the city of Los Angeles the Public Policy Institute of California estimates that there are 916,000 undocumented immigrants only in the County of Los Angeles. The author explain, it is better for the government to know who this undocumented people are and where they live rather than stay in the shadows. Perhaps, in this way it is easier for undocumented to integrate in society and
Undocumented and Stressed takes an inside look into the struggles undocumented students face while attempting to further their education. Besides the fear of failing classes or funding tuition, this group of students also faces the chance of being deported. In an attempt to finish their college careers, many students apply for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) government protection program. This program was put in place in 2012 in an attempt to protect qualified youth from being deported. From those who were granted DACA status, over 85% said it positively impacted their college careers. Aside from fear of deportation, many undocumented students often have added stressors due to the inconsistency in laws, rules, and regulations