Undocumented Arkansas students push for college access
by David Koon
Page 2 of 5
I really love school. When we had vacations, I'd wish they'd hurry up and go faster. I always wanted the time away from school to be over, and I made good grades. In the 10th grade, all these colleges started sending me invitations to come tour their campus. My parents were really excited about it. I took tours with my friends, but then I talked to the counselor and she didn't really know how to help me. She said, "I don't even think you can go to college." I got really down my junior year and I thought about dropping out. There were a lot of my friends who dropped out. They were like: "I'd rather work than keep studying, because there's no point." But I didn't quit.
By the end of my senior year, everybody was talking about the DREAM Act, and my parents said: "You really need to work hard in your studies so that when the time comes, you can prove you are an asset to the community." I graduated with honors, and was salutatorian of my class.
I applied to all of the public universities in Arkansas. I got accepted to all of them, but I couldn't get scholarships. I came in one day and told my parents that I didn't think I'd be able to go. They said: "Just take as many classes as you want. We'll work." My Dad said: "If you have the brains, we'll get the money."
Education for my parents was the most important thing. They said that's what's going to distinguish you from everybody else. Since then, I've been going to school full time every semester. I'm majoring in pre-med biology, and I want to be a doctor someday. My parents work 12 hours a day, seven days a week. They go in at 6 in the morning and come home at 7 at night. They have to drive an hour away. I have a younger sister who is 14, and I feel like it's taking them away from her. She doesn't really see my parents that much, because as soon as they get home, they eat and then go to sleep. They've paid $10,000 dollars each semester.
The beginning of my sophomore year, my mom was diagnosed with cervical cancer. That was a breaking point for me. I felt like I needed to work because she needed surgery to remove the cancer, and we didn't have the money for it. I just wanted to work so she could get better, but she wouldn't let me. Our community came together to raise most of the money she needed. She had the surgery in December. She was supposed to have bed rest for a month. She only stayed a week. She said: "I can't stay in bed. You need the money for school." She went back to work. My mom is my role model.
The DREAM Act is not only going to benefit me, it's going to benefit millions of students who have worked hard and who want to do something for themselves and their families, and who want to give back to the community they've grown up to love and make their home. I'm very hopeful something will change.
People think we're all criminals coming to do bad in this country. That's not the case. I've had people ask me: "Why don't you just go back to your country?" I say: "What country? I was raised here." This is my country. This is my home. In school, I pledged allegiance to the American flag. I may not have been an American citizen, but in my heart I know I'm an American.
Speaking of...
-
Diamonds in the manure of the Arkansas legislature
May 9, 2013Some legislators and legislation shone. /more/
-
Legislature today: DREAM again denied for immigrant children
April 10, 2013Sen. Joyce Elliott's bill to allow colleges to charge in-state tuition to undocumented immigrant students who've graduated from Arkansas high schools and had sufficient residency here failed in a Senate committee today. /more/
-
War on Women continues: Republicans again kill ERA in Senate committee
April 2, 2013Sen. Joyce Elliott will try again today. A resolution for Arkansas to ratify the federal Equal Rights Amendment is on the Senate State Agencies Committee agenda at 10 a.m. this morning. /more/
-
Barth: The DREAM remains alive
March 28, 2013Within days, we will know whether the Arkansas DREAM Act, the legislation focused on providing in-state college tuition to undocumented young people who have been educated in the state's high schools, has legs in this legislative session. /more/
-
Sunday open line
March 24, 2013Here's an open line. Also: * VOTER INITIATIVES: Here's an article by Paul Jacob, a North Little Rock native who was an important foot soldier in the national campaign to pass term limits. /more/
-
The women's rights open line
March 23, 2013A two-week grassroots campaign on social media brought maybe 500 people to the Capitol on a cold, rainy day Saturday to protest the legislature's attack on women's medical rights (and speakers invoked a range of other liberty-infringing efforts by the legislature). /more/
-
'The Baby-Faced Killah' and the Ledge-Ends of the Game
March 15, 2013The first annual Arkansas Legislative Hoops For Kids' Sake Game is coming up on Tuesday, and we're really, really excited here at the Times. So much so that we've wasted a couple hours making 10 basketball cards of participating members, replete with nicknames and scouting reports. /more/
-
Elliott files bill to close tuition gap for undocumented students
March 11, 2013As promised, Sen. Joyce Elliott (D-Little Rock) has filed a bill that would allow undocumented students — many of whom, as David Koon described in a recent cover story, were brought here as small children and know no other country — an opportunity to receive in-state tuition rates at state colleges. /more/
- More »
Comments (3)
Showing 1-3 of 3
More by David Koon
-
This weekend: Intl. Greek Food Festival
A foodie must-do this weekend is the International Greek Food Festival, which kicks off Friday, May 17 at 11 a.m. at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, 1100 Napa Valley Drive in Little Rock.
- May 16, 2013
-
Happy Birthday, Johnny Cash
It's Johnny Cash's birthday today, so here's the Man in Black and Co. singing "Ring of Fire" live at Cummins Penitentiary in 1969.
- Feb 26, 2013
- More »
People who saved…
Readers also liked…
-
'A human issue'
Sen. Joyce Elliott pushes (again) for a bill to extend in-state tuition to undocumented students.
- Feb 21, 2013
Latest in Cover Stories
-
Ready for Riverfest
Good times start rolling Friday.
- May 23, 2013
-
Riverfest fast facts
Riverfest 2013 three-day discounted tickets will be available at select Walgreen's locations around the state. These tickets will be sold for $17.50 (while supplies last). Admission at the gates is $35 for a three-day pass, cash only. Online tickets can be purchased for $30.
- May 23, 2013
-
Live entertainment schedule
The Riverfest calendar.
- May 23, 2013
- More »
Event Calendar
-
Re: Best of Arkansas 2012
Where is the 2013 Ballot???
- on May 24, 2013
-
Re: Sister who opposed Faubus dies
What Orval Faubus did in 1957 was not a governor gone all mavericky. He was…
- on May 24, 2013
-
Re: Sister who opposed Faubus dies
This is what we've come to: Fighting among ourselves over points in an obituary.
- on May 24, 2013
Site Index
News
Cover Story / Arkansas Reporter / The Week That Was / Smart Talk / The Insider / The Observer / Editorial / Max Brantley / Ernest Dumas / Gene Lyons / Bob Lancaster / Words / Guest Writer / Letters
Entertainment
A&E Feature / To-Do List / In Brief / Movie Reviews / Music Reviews / Theater Reviews / A&E News / Art Notes / Graham Gordy / Books / Media / Dining Reviews / Dining Guide / What's Cookin' / Calendar / The Televisionist / Movie Listings / Gallery Listings
This Week's Cover
Quick Links
Special Publications
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
