King grad hopes to help immigrants
Her poetry on cell phones aims to inspire

* By Elvia Aguilar
* Posted January 9, 2010 at 9:55 p.m. , updated January 9, 2010 at 9:55 p.m.



CORPUS CHRISTI — Amy Carroll, a 1986 King High School graduate, hopes her poetry can motivate Mexican and Central American immigrants through their harsh journey to come into the U.S.

When they make the illegal trek, they might have her words in hand and easily hear them to keep them alive spiritually, just as food, water or sunscreen keeps them physically alive and protected.

Her work is being used as part of the Transborder Immigrant Tool, a GPS-enabled cell phone that will guide migrants north. The cell phone project, which has gained national attention from anti-illegal immigrant critics and technology buffs, will prevent deaths, its creators hope, by guiding the dehydrated and hungry to food and water.

And Carroll, a University of Michigan assistant professor of English and American culture, wants it to inspire as her poetry will be recorded by different voices and in different languages so users can understand it.

“May your tracks cut the shortest distance between points A and B ... May you catch your bearing, the truth of true,â€