Thread: {Sob}I A student plans to return to Mexico for her college

Undocumented student plans to return to Mexico for her college education



By ERICA WALTERS
The Dispatch


The choice facing her parents - life or death, education or no education - brought her to the United States. Now, a decision affecting illegal immigrants who are seeking higher education will send her back.

"I don't want to start over again," said Esperanza, a Davidson County teenager.

Esperanza, which is not her real name due to her illegal status, excelled throughout high school. She never earned lower than a B on her report card. She participated in school sports, served as a member of many school organizations and worked in a part-time job. She graduated from a Davidson County high school ranked in the top 25 percent of her class, which included more than 200 students this year.

However, attending a university or college in the United States probably will elude her because of her illegal status. Esperanza had hoped there would be a change making a post-secondary education possible for her and others like her in North Carolina. Yet, while there was a change in post-secondary North Carolina schools, it was not the change Esperanza wanted.

In May, North Carolina's system of community colleges opted to deny admission to undocumented applicants like Esperanza. Her first choices - the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and North Carolina State University - were unattainable because the University of North Carolina system schools charge undocumented students higher out-of-state tuition. So, she hoped to attend a community college, paying out-of-state costs.

Now, Esperanza will head back to Guadalajara, Mexico, in July to further her education. This time, transportation shouldn't be as difficult as was her trek crossing the border into the United States several years ago.

Switching from plane to desert to van, Esperanza, her mother and two brothers made their way into the United States and eventually North Carolina.

"We left from Guadalajara in the morning and took a plane to Nogales, Mexico," she said. "I didn't know until a few days before that we were leaving."

Nogales, Mexico, is a place of passage that many immigrants use to cross into Arizona. Although their trip began on a plane, transportation by foot would lead the rest of the way across the border. For Esperanza, who was just 8 years old, there were some obstacles that seemed physically impossible.

"Once we got to Nogales, we stayed at a hotel. It was scary. That was a really scary town," she said. "Then we got a knock on the door; it was time to go."

The rap on their hotel-room door came from the men that would help transport the family across the desert and the border. At a couple of thousand dollars per person, the price was steep. And Esperanza's family members weren't the only ones looking to cross into the States that night. Along with her family of four, there were 15 other people. Esperanza recounts seeing a child younger than 3 years old in the group.

"It was dark," she said. "We were told to get ready 'cause we were leaving."

The group met at the bottom of a steep hill to begin their journey. The time between the setting and the rising of the sun was the only time the group had to make its way onto American soil. Not being able to keep up with the group guaranteed that you would be left.

"I couldn't climb it; I just couldn't climb it," she said. However, with help from one of her brothers, Esperanza managed to make the climb.

They crossed the desert into Arizona where they got into a van for a trip that would last a week as they stopped in various places to drop off families.

"Whenever we stopped sometimes people would offer us food," she said. "The van was old, and there were no seats in the back."

Esperanza said the trip didn't mean the same for her as it did for her parents. She left her friends, family and the only place she knew as home.

"I got here, and I was really sad," she said. "I didn't even want to talk to my parents about it."

Esperanza turned to one of her brothers, who is one year older than her, for comfort. She related to him and was able to talk to him. She didn't want her sadness to show. Somehow, she knew her parents had made the trip to offer their children a better life.

Esperanza's parents didn't go to college, and they didn't have a house. They sold lottery tickets for money.

"It (selling lottery tickets) was very dangerous for them," she said. "At times, they didn't have money to buy milk or bread."

At 8 years old, Esperanza, entered third grade speaking no English. However, she managed to make a friend. "We couldn't understand each other, but we tried," she said.

When she began her fifth-grade year, she had grown confident. From that time on, she would make no grade lower than a B.

"I kind of knew when I started high school that I might have to go home," she said. "I wanted to go to North Carolina State and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. I found out last year that wouldn't happen."

Schools in the UNC system began admitting undocumented students at the out-of state rate. However, that price can be overwhelming without financial assistance, which is something undocumented students can't receive. So, four years of trying her best to attend a four-year college left her seeking a less-expensive education at a community college.

"My last hope was to go to a community college," she said. "But then I heard on the news that that was not possible."

Esperanza was not the only student to be affected by the decision.

"When a lot of my friends found out they couldn't go, they just decided to stay here," she said.

Esperanza's two older brothers attend a college in Guadalajara. She will attend the same school because of the English courses taught there. Since she has been in the U.S. since age 8, her English is better than her Spanish.

She will leave the U.S. in July.

"Some people don't understand what we go through and how hard we work. We pay taxes, too," said Esperanza. "We're trying to make a better life for ourselves."

Like any student beginning college, she is torn between two possible fields of study - tourism and international business.

"If I am able to, I would want to come back to the States," she said.

Esperanza will be the last child to leave her home.

"It's hard for my mom, because of what we did just to get here," she said. "But she's glad that we're doing this for our education."

Erica Walters can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 228, or erica.walters@the-dispatch.com.


http://www.the-dispatch.com/article/200 ... /1005/news

Esperanza-not-her-real-name....go do good in mex. Make good grades and do your country some good....and thanks for self-deporting!

Her parents need to go with her. She can apply to emigrate legally from Mexico, after she graduates from college. She may be denied since it will come out that she had been here illegally. That's a consequence of her parents action.

How will ICE know unless they deport her and they have a file on her???

High school transcripts. Since schools are not allowed to ask about legal residency, most illegal aliens use their REAL names upon enrolling their kids in schools.

In addition, education is one of the questions on an immigration application (at least it was 40 years ago when I became a citizen). As soon as she writes in that she went to school in the US, she's busted!

Some people don't understand what we go through and how hard we work. We pay taxes, too," said Esperanza. "We're trying to make a better life for ourselves."

So do other criminals and we do not excuse them because they otherwise work hard and pay taxes. By the way, how do you pay taxes if you do not have a valid social number? Do you have a tax id number? Whatever... Good luck in mexico. If you can do it, why cannot the rest of them?

"I don't want to start over again," said Esperanza, a Davidson County teenager.

Gee.....sometimes plan B isn't the first choice but you have options.

However, attending a university or college in the United States probably will elude her because of her illegal status. Esperanza had hoped there would be a change making a post-secondary education possible for her and others like her in North Carolina. Yet, while there was a change in post-secondary North Carolina schools, it was not the change Esperanza wanted.

Yea, as an illegal she probably expected to receive in-state tuition or perhaps even a free education because as an illegal, that's what she has become accustomed to.

Forget the fact there is only a limited number of admissions availiable each year. This means she would no doubt be taking the spot of an American citizen who's parents almost certainly paid taxes!

Some people don't understand what we go through and how hard we work. We pay taxes, too," said Esperanza. "We're trying to make a better life for ourselves."

I'm getting sick and tired of hearing this lame-ass excuse everytime an illegal is caught. It's not about taxes or working hard, it's about being here ILLEGALLY!!!