These past few weeks have been tough. I have had to wake up early enough to make it to class at 8am at Berkeley on time from Oakland, rush after my Computer Science class which ends at 3pm to make it to my job on time at 3:30pm, end work at six pm, stay up late to finish homework, and wake up early the next day to start all over again. This has become a very difficult challenge, but I feel that I can overcome it if I remain focused.
There are political actions going on which allow me to be even more hopeful. The California DREAM act has passed, and, although the governor has vetoed the act in the past, I am hopeful that this time he signs it so that undocumented students like me can receive financial aid to attend institutions of higher education.
I am also very hopeful for the federal DREAM act, which would open a path to citizenship to undocumented youth. This version of the DREAM act would give people who have been in America since a very young age a five-year period in which they would be legal residents. If in those five years the person either attends college for two years or serves in the armed forces for two years, he/she would be eligible to apply for full citizenship. If the law were to pass, I would have a clear path for fixing my status here in America. All I would have to do would be to graduate from college and apply for citizenship, which would lighten the amount of stress I am under on now and would also ensure a future for me in America.
Here is a copy of an email sent to me by a student group, RISE:
Dear RISE Members, Friends and Allies,
Undocumented AB-540 students need all the support that you can give at this very important, time sensitive, and crucial point in time. The Federal DREAM Act will be up for a vote next week and we need all of our community members to make calls to Senators across the U.S. urging them to vote YES on the DREAM Act when it is up for a vote in the U.S. Senate. Signing petitions is easy but what we really need now at this particular point in time is for you to make those calls to the Senators so that they can really hear us. There are other actions that you can make.
1. URGENT: Federal DREAM Act Senate Bill 729 up for VOTE NEXT WEEK
1. Senator Reid will introduce a defense authorization bill which will include a repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Policy as well as the Federal DREAM Act, both as amendments. The DREAM Act will provide a pathway towards legalization for undocumented youth brought to the U.S. before the age of 16, have “good moral character. There are 40 Senate Co-Sponsors so we have a lot of support.
2. Call the following Senators
1. Utah Senator Orrin Hatch (R)
1. 801-524-4380
2. 801-375-7881
3. 435-634-1795
4. 888-254-5078
2. Utah Senator Bob Bennett (R)
1. 801-524-5933
2. 801-851-2525
3. 435-628-5514
4. 888-254-5078
3. MESSAGE/SCRIPT: “Hi, my name is _________ and I am calling to urge Senator (Hatch / Bennett ) to support the DREAM Act (S.729). The DREAM Act allows immigrant youth of good moral character to make crucial economic contributions to the United States. Thank you"
2. California DREAM Act
1. Last day the California Governor has to sign or veto the California DREAM Act is at the end of the month. The California DREAM Act would provide institutional financial aid for undocumented AB-540 students within the State, expand the definition of AB-540 to include adult school and vocational school graduates, provide BOG Fee Waivers for AB-540 students at the Community College Level, and provide Cal Grants to incoming Freshman students.
2. Make those CALLS!
3. Sacramento: Phone: 916-445-2841
4. Fresno Office Phone: 559-477-1804
5. Los Angeles Office Phone: 213-897-0322
6. Riverside Office Phone: 951-680-6860
7. San Diego Office Phone: 619-525-4641
8. San Francisco Office Phone: 415-703-2218
3. Sign Petition: http://immigration.change.org/petitions/view/california_dream_act_sb1460_and_the_future_of_ab540_students
3. Congresswoman Jackie Speier
1. The Bay Area DREAM Act has been targeting Congresswoman Jackie Speier to become a Co-Sponsor of the DREAM Act within the House of Representatives Chamber. She represents South San Francisco with a heavy Latino population but still refuses to support the DREAM Act. Make calls urging her to Co-Sponsor the Federal DREAM Act
1. San Mateo Office: (650) 342-0300 / D.C. Office: (202) 225-3531
2. Sign Petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/view/the_san_francisco_bay_area_supports_the_dream_act
4. Campus Progress’s Face the DREAM Campaign
1. Campus Progress is a national nonprofit think tank based out of Washington D.C. and is currently pioneering a DREAM Act Campaign in which supporters of the DREAM Act will write on the Facebook walls of three U.S. Senators demanding that he/she publicly supports the DREAM Act.
2. For further information: http://www2.americanprogress.org/t/1692/signUp.jsp?key=1792
News Articles:
1. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/14/dream-act-to-get-vote-on-_n_716698.html?ref=fb&src=sp#sb=232802,b=facebook
2. http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2010/09/14/reid-dream-act/
3. http://washingtonindependent.com/97398/reid-dream-act-will-be-added-to-defense-authorization-bill
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
A nice summer ending
After weeks and weeks of job hunting, the day came for the start of a program I had applied to earlier in the summer, a Cosmology(not cosmetology!)program for students at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory right above the UC Berkeley campus. The program was exciting since the beginning. The first day, Nobel Prize laureate George Smoot gave a presentation on research that was being conducted at the Lab, including topics such as the role of Dark Energy in the accelerating expansion of the universe.
Each day was filled with exciting presentations and activities from which the rest of the scholars and I learned a lot. Close to the end of the first week of the Cosmology program, however, I received a call from the director of my old high school. He informed me that he would like me to work for the school during the summer as a mathematics tutor. I gladly agreed, knowing that this was the summer job opportunity that I was looking for. I would have to sacrifice a lot of quality learning time at the Cosmology program, but I knew that the time I spent working at the High school was time that would help me pay for my Berkeley tuition. I worked that week early in the morning, from seven-thirty to noon. Everyday after class, I rushed to the Berkeley Lab, hoping I would be able to participate in some of the daily afternoon experiments, such as using software and recorded video to determine a ball's velocity when tossed in the air, at the program. Fortunately, I made it just in time everyday for those experiments.
Both the Cosmology program and my summer classes ended on a Friday, and although I was not able to attend the final meeting of the Cosmology program, I was able to talk to the High School's director and get some good news from him. He had decided to offer me a year-long tutoring job at the school. I walked home that day a bit less worried about tuition than I had been this summer, and I decided to tell my mother about the job offer. This job opportunity would significantly ease the burden of my tuition on my parents.
About two days ago, a representative from an insurance company I had applied to called me to offer me a job at one of the company's offices. At first I was excited about the offer but as he explained the terms I became uninterested. The schedule he offered me severely overlapped with my school hours, something I could not allow any job to do, since the whole purpose of me working was for me to do well in school and be able to pay my tuition. Also, the minimum work hours were thirty per week, and the office does not open Sundays, so I would have to work a large number of hours during school days, leaving me with a little time to study. If I had no other alternative I would have taken the job, but thanks to the fact that I had a well paying, perfectly scheduled tutoring job set aside for me, I comfortably rejected the insurance company's offer.
Currently I am getting things ready for school, since the first day of class is only a few weeks away. I have my classes set(although I am still waiting for one class to be scheduled), and I have a job set as well. Overall, I think this summer is closing nicely. I do have upcoming semesters to worry about, but for now I am going to enjoy the beginning of my college experience. Filled with excitement for the first day of school and with an amazing feeling of school pride(something the Cal Orientation played a large part in) I happily end this blog entry with one statement: GO BEARS!
Each day was filled with exciting presentations and activities from which the rest of the scholars and I learned a lot. Close to the end of the first week of the Cosmology program, however, I received a call from the director of my old high school. He informed me that he would like me to work for the school during the summer as a mathematics tutor. I gladly agreed, knowing that this was the summer job opportunity that I was looking for. I would have to sacrifice a lot of quality learning time at the Cosmology program, but I knew that the time I spent working at the High school was time that would help me pay for my Berkeley tuition. I worked that week early in the morning, from seven-thirty to noon. Everyday after class, I rushed to the Berkeley Lab, hoping I would be able to participate in some of the daily afternoon experiments, such as using software and recorded video to determine a ball's velocity when tossed in the air, at the program. Fortunately, I made it just in time everyday for those experiments.
Both the Cosmology program and my summer classes ended on a Friday, and although I was not able to attend the final meeting of the Cosmology program, I was able to talk to the High School's director and get some good news from him. He had decided to offer me a year-long tutoring job at the school. I walked home that day a bit less worried about tuition than I had been this summer, and I decided to tell my mother about the job offer. This job opportunity would significantly ease the burden of my tuition on my parents.
About two days ago, a representative from an insurance company I had applied to called me to offer me a job at one of the company's offices. At first I was excited about the offer but as he explained the terms I became uninterested. The schedule he offered me severely overlapped with my school hours, something I could not allow any job to do, since the whole purpose of me working was for me to do well in school and be able to pay my tuition. Also, the minimum work hours were thirty per week, and the office does not open Sundays, so I would have to work a large number of hours during school days, leaving me with a little time to study. If I had no other alternative I would have taken the job, but thanks to the fact that I had a well paying, perfectly scheduled tutoring job set aside for me, I comfortably rejected the insurance company's offer.
Currently I am getting things ready for school, since the first day of class is only a few weeks away. I have my classes set(although I am still waiting for one class to be scheduled), and I have a job set as well. Overall, I think this summer is closing nicely. I do have upcoming semesters to worry about, but for now I am going to enjoy the beginning of my college experience. Filled with excitement for the first day of school and with an amazing feeling of school pride(something the Cal Orientation played a large part in) I happily end this blog entry with one statement: GO BEARS!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Job Hunting!
Well I can't apply to most scholarships, and certainly I won't get any federal financial aid, but it shouldn't be hard to cover my tuition if I can work two jobs in the summer and a part time during school, I thought. Sure the economy's bad, but how hard can it be? I was soon to find out as my search for a job began.
I started at the local food restaurants, asking around for applications, and turning them in. After a few weeks of applying and not receiving any calls, I began to feel unsure about my approach. I thought, maybe the applications are not getting through directly to the managers. At a local grocery store, upon filling out another application, I asked at the counter for the manager, and I was kindly pointed in the direction where she was. I told her I was looking for a job, and that I would like to turn in my application to her, but, uninterested, she pointed me in the direction of the customer service corner of the store saying that "all applications must be submitted to the customer service office in order to be sorted out." I turned in my application disillusioned, knowing that, like my past one, this new application would not get to her.
At a local grilled chicken restaurant, I turned in my application, again directly to the manager. She happily informed me that there was a cashier spot available for me to work in. She reviewed my application and set the first of three interview dates for the upcoming Sunday morning. I left the restaurant hopeful and happy that I actually had a chance at getting the job.
That Sunday at eleven in the morning I was at the restaurant waiting for the manager to interview me. She asked some basic questions, how long I planned to keep the job, what would I do to deal with an angry customer, what I thought qualified me for the job, etc. I answered every question firmly and with confidence, trying to make the best possible impression on the manager. After a while, she began to ask about my goals and such, and, upon hearing that I was a recent high school graduate about to start college, she informed me that a part time worker who planned to keep the job for a long period of time is what they were looking for. I responded by saying that I needed a steady part time job for the next few years since I needed to pay college tuition. She ended the interview by telling me that the following Tuesday I would be having my second interview.
On Monday, I called to confirm my second interview and was informed that, unfortunately, the man that was supposed to interview me would be out of town for a week, and to call for my interview then. The next week, when I called, I was told that, because sales had been low in the restaurant, the hiring process would be halted for a while. I hung up the phone, disappointed once again at not having succeeded in obtaining a job.
July came around and I have become desperate at not being able to get a job. I have applied to an array of different positions, from dishwasher to insurance salesman. Although many of my friends who can legally work in the United States are having the same problem, I believe that my inability to prove to the employers that I can legally work in America further cripples my chances of becoming employed. I hope that, soon, I can find a job and work towards my education at Cal.
I started at the local food restaurants, asking around for applications, and turning them in. After a few weeks of applying and not receiving any calls, I began to feel unsure about my approach. I thought, maybe the applications are not getting through directly to the managers. At a local grocery store, upon filling out another application, I asked at the counter for the manager, and I was kindly pointed in the direction where she was. I told her I was looking for a job, and that I would like to turn in my application to her, but, uninterested, she pointed me in the direction of the customer service corner of the store saying that "all applications must be submitted to the customer service office in order to be sorted out." I turned in my application disillusioned, knowing that, like my past one, this new application would not get to her.
At a local grilled chicken restaurant, I turned in my application, again directly to the manager. She happily informed me that there was a cashier spot available for me to work in. She reviewed my application and set the first of three interview dates for the upcoming Sunday morning. I left the restaurant hopeful and happy that I actually had a chance at getting the job.
That Sunday at eleven in the morning I was at the restaurant waiting for the manager to interview me. She asked some basic questions, how long I planned to keep the job, what would I do to deal with an angry customer, what I thought qualified me for the job, etc. I answered every question firmly and with confidence, trying to make the best possible impression on the manager. After a while, she began to ask about my goals and such, and, upon hearing that I was a recent high school graduate about to start college, she informed me that a part time worker who planned to keep the job for a long period of time is what they were looking for. I responded by saying that I needed a steady part time job for the next few years since I needed to pay college tuition. She ended the interview by telling me that the following Tuesday I would be having my second interview.
On Monday, I called to confirm my second interview and was informed that, unfortunately, the man that was supposed to interview me would be out of town for a week, and to call for my interview then. The next week, when I called, I was told that, because sales had been low in the restaurant, the hiring process would be halted for a while. I hung up the phone, disappointed once again at not having succeeded in obtaining a job.
July came around and I have become desperate at not being able to get a job. I have applied to an array of different positions, from dishwasher to insurance salesman. Although many of my friends who can legally work in the United States are having the same problem, I believe that my inability to prove to the employers that I can legally work in America further cripples my chances of becoming employed. I hope that, soon, I can find a job and work towards my education at Cal.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
East Bay College Fund Scholarship
On a normal day during AP English Literature class at the Oakland Military Institute, I sat listening to my teacher as Ms.Le, our school councilor, walked into the room. She was there to talk to us about a scholarship that she wanted my classmates and I to apply to, the East Bay College Fund Scholarship. As she began talking about the scholarship and stated the amount, $4,000 per year throughout four years for each scholar who receives the scholarship, I was instantly disappointed, believing that a scholarship of that amount could never be offered to an undocumented student. I was wrong. The scholarship did not require any type of proof of legal residence in the United States, and it provided and equal chance to minorities in the East Bay Area. At that moment, my heart began to race as I tried to fight off one idea "you can actually have a chance at paying for college if you get that scholarship!" with another more pessimistic one, "there is a good chance that you won't get it, so don't get your hopes up now."
As I sat in class, I silently wrote down the website for the East Bay College Fund application. When I got home, I went on the website to make sure, although my councilor had already told me I did qualify, that I met all the requirements set by the scholarship. I filled out the application, and emailed my English teacher and my soccer coach, asking for recommendations. They both said they would do it, so for the moment I relaxed and decided to leave the scholarship out of my mind in case I did not get it. However, close to the deadline of when the scholarship application was due, my soccer coach emailed me, saying he would be unable to write any recommendations until later that spring, when his schedule was not so tight. I was extremely disappointed, knowing that it would be very difficult for me to find another teacher to write a recommendation in such short notice. Although I did not want to bother him again since he had written recommendations for my college applications, I decided to email my previous English teacher and ask him for the second recommendation. To my relief, he happily agreed to recommend me.
Late in March, I was given notification of my acceptance to the interview stage of the selection process. I attended the interview formally dressed and mentally prepared for it, although I could not be prepared enough to reduce my nervousness. I sat in the waiting room as they interviewed other scholars, wrecking my brain with thoughts of the questions they would be asking, the type of students they were looking for, and the impression I would make on them. The more I waited, the more nervous I became, just by thinking about the importance the scholarship would have in helping me achieve my educational goals.
When I was called in for the interview, I took a deep breath and went in. The three volunteers that interviewed me turned out to be very nice people, and the interview became more of a pleasant conversation than an actual interview. We talked about my goals, how I planned to achieve them, and why I had set those goals for myself. They gave me a lot of advice concerning college, family, and friends and provided me with some of their experience so that I could learn from them as I began my years in college. They ended with one statement: "There are specific traits we look for in our scholars, and we believe you have those traits." I left the interview wondering whether that meant I would get the scholarship or whether it was what they told every scholar. I decided to stay on the safe side and not get my hopes up, telling myself they told those exact words to all the other applicants
Later that month, I received an email saying I had been awarded the scholarship. I read the email over and over to make sure my eyes had not deceived me and to make sure I had, in fact, won. The moment that I received the email was like receiving my acceptance letter to Berkeley all over again. It was as if the letter was saying, "yes, you do have a chance at attending Berkeley now." Although I knew I still needed a lot more money to cover tuition costs at Berkeley, I also knew that with the East Bay College Fund Scholarship, attending Cal might still a possibility for me.
As I sat in class, I silently wrote down the website for the East Bay College Fund application. When I got home, I went on the website to make sure, although my councilor had already told me I did qualify, that I met all the requirements set by the scholarship. I filled out the application, and emailed my English teacher and my soccer coach, asking for recommendations. They both said they would do it, so for the moment I relaxed and decided to leave the scholarship out of my mind in case I did not get it. However, close to the deadline of when the scholarship application was due, my soccer coach emailed me, saying he would be unable to write any recommendations until later that spring, when his schedule was not so tight. I was extremely disappointed, knowing that it would be very difficult for me to find another teacher to write a recommendation in such short notice. Although I did not want to bother him again since he had written recommendations for my college applications, I decided to email my previous English teacher and ask him for the second recommendation. To my relief, he happily agreed to recommend me.
Late in March, I was given notification of my acceptance to the interview stage of the selection process. I attended the interview formally dressed and mentally prepared for it, although I could not be prepared enough to reduce my nervousness. I sat in the waiting room as they interviewed other scholars, wrecking my brain with thoughts of the questions they would be asking, the type of students they were looking for, and the impression I would make on them. The more I waited, the more nervous I became, just by thinking about the importance the scholarship would have in helping me achieve my educational goals.
When I was called in for the interview, I took a deep breath and went in. The three volunteers that interviewed me turned out to be very nice people, and the interview became more of a pleasant conversation than an actual interview. We talked about my goals, how I planned to achieve them, and why I had set those goals for myself. They gave me a lot of advice concerning college, family, and friends and provided me with some of their experience so that I could learn from them as I began my years in college. They ended with one statement: "There are specific traits we look for in our scholars, and we believe you have those traits." I left the interview wondering whether that meant I would get the scholarship or whether it was what they told every scholar. I decided to stay on the safe side and not get my hopes up, telling myself they told those exact words to all the other applicants
Later that month, I received an email saying I had been awarded the scholarship. I read the email over and over to make sure my eyes had not deceived me and to make sure I had, in fact, won. The moment that I received the email was like receiving my acceptance letter to Berkeley all over again. It was as if the letter was saying, "yes, you do have a chance at attending Berkeley now." Although I knew I still needed a lot more money to cover tuition costs at Berkeley, I also knew that with the East Bay College Fund Scholarship, attending Cal might still a possibility for me.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
My Path To A College Education
“Good things come to hard-working people” is what my parents told me when we talked about our move to the U.S. My family and I originated from the state of Michoacán, a rough part of Mexico where the drug trade was a large problem. My parents, a couple that believed in making money the honorable way, chose to avoid the booming business in Michoacán, which was the selling and purchasing of illegal drugs. Instead, they remained in poverty, living day by day, sometimes barely having enough money for one meagerly meal per day, just to retain their honor. They never succumbed to the temptations of easy money and were always positive despite their economic problems. When my mother gave birth to me, all my parents wanted to do was to instill within me their strong morals and ethics and, most importantly, to provide a better future for me, even if it meant having to make sacrifices. That is why they chose to bring what was then their only child to the land of opportunity, the United States of America.
My father traveled to America alone and worked for about a year until he was able to find an apartment to settle in. What little money he could get, my father would send to my mother, or would save in order to pay for my mother’s and my way to America. Once he saved the enough money, my mother walked across the U.S.-Mexico border with me, a two year old baby crying my heart out, in hope of a better future for her child. She was led by money-hungry smugglers who could care less for our lives, through tough terrain and solitary hills in which many perils lay. She had to carry me up steep slopes and down even steeper slopes. At the same time, she had to be on her toes, for the people she traveled with were not trustworthy. The smugglers would do anything to ensure they didn’t get caught, so when I began to cry when immigration patrol was inspecting the area and the smugglers and migrants were hidden behind some rocks, the smugglers took me from my mother by force and drugged me with an unknown substance. They would not jeopardize their business because of a baby. After weeks of traveling through the rugged, hilly landscape and then through many California cities, my mother and I had safely made it to Oakland, where we met with my father after a whole year of separation.
There were many job opportunities for my father in Oakland, and he earned enough money to properly feed and clothe me, something he had not been able to do in Mexico. However, the societal conditions here were not any better than in Mexico; the streets were swarming with drug dealers, thieves, gangsters, and many other potential dangers. The huge difference, however, was that through the mind-deteriorating environment in this new home, there existed a chance of progressing, a chance of getting an education and succeeding in life, which was exactly what my parents wanted for me.
At four years old, I attended a head start program, and by third grade was becoming fluent in English. Although I had the disadvantage of learning English as a second language, I was soon performing as well as any other of my classmates on my middle school work, and I eventually surpassed them, even though they had been born in the United States. During that time, I was motivated by the praise of my parents, and partly by the astonishment of my middle school teachers at a low-income student from East Oakland being able to perform at the academic level that I was performing. I was beginning to see what I could achieve, and that in itself was motivation enough for the moment.
Through hard work in middle school at Dolores Huerta Learning Academy, I obtained good grades and became well acquainted with many people in the school. In eighth grade, the advice my parents had given me was put to the test. I ran for school president, working hard to make sure that my classmates knew I was all about action, not just talk. I organized after school sports activities, bake sales, and movie nights in order to prove my leadership skills to the school. Like my parents had told me, hard work pays off; I became school president, making my parents proud in the process. It was the first time that I felt good at accomplishing something not just because of my parents, but because of my own, personal ambition.
As I entered high school and became more independent of my parents, I had to take on a new leadership position, this time more difficult and, to me, more important than the position I had held at Dolores Huerta Learning Academy. My friends in high school began to mature physically, which, in the case of the youth in East Oakland, is not always a good thing. The kids I had known who had aspired to become doctors, firemen, and policemen when they were in middle school now ran amuck in the streets, joining gangs, or selling drugs. Some of them attempted to “stay above the influence,” only to be coaxed into doing drugs or committing crimes soon thereafter. Then, there were some who had managed to stay out of trouble for the most part. However, the streets of East Oakland, as I had come to realize, are unforgiving and unmerciful to all, regardless of any person’s innocence. Because of a mere colors on clothing and shoes, many of my friends and family members, innocent of any crime or gang affiliation, were shot and killed. In the streets of Oakland, wearing red, blue, or black in the wrong neighborhood is enough incentive for a gang member to pull the trigger.
Even if one was careful when going out, security was never a guarantee. My mother, pregnant with my sister, Jacquelyn, was assaulted when walking in broad daylight to the clinic for her scheduled checkup. She attended her appointment on time, without her purse, and with an ear bleeding where the man had hit her. Not even a woman carrying a child is spared from the violence in my city.
Though I had a tough course load through high school and though soccer, my athletic passion, took up a large part of my time, I always took on the role of leading my friends and family through a better path to overcome the dangers of Oakland. I learned to drive, although my family had to spend more of the little money we had on gas, so that my mother could get safely to her destinations while my father was at work. In the case of my friends, I tried to lead them in the way my parents had led me; toward a mentality aimed for success. I wanted them to do well for themselves, but I also had selfish reasons for wanting them to do well in school; the academic road for success has always been extremely lonely for me without my friends, which has made it all the more difficult. Despite my constant complaining about the lifestyle that they lived and despite the continuous advice that I tried to give them, my friends were headed for failure. They did drugs, partied, and spent their time on the street. By the eleventh grade, most of the friends I had known since middle school were either pregnant, alcoholics, gang members, drug addicts, or a combination of these. While they had what they called “fun,” I spent my time tackling math problems, writing essays for my English class, and studying, knowing that I had to overcome the destructive environment of Oakland through my education in order to ensure a successful future. I tried to get many of my friends to realize that their hard work in school would pay off if they just tried, but even if they would not listen, I was determined to ensure my own future. I had the words “I will succeed” carved deeply into my mind. My eyes were firmly set for a future with a college education and economic stability, and I was determined to get there. However, as my senior year in high school progressed, I began to see an immense, new barrier preventing me from reaching my goal of a college education; I would not have anywhere near enough money to pay for my college tuition.
Starting in February, I began getting acceptance letters in the mail. I received letters from many colleges offering me admission into their class of 2014, but on March 25th, I received an online notification from the university that I had been waiting to hear from all along; I had been accepted into the University of California, Berkeley. Now that the wait for admission notifications was over, the ghost that had been haunting me at intervals throughout my whole senior year appeared, this time more solidly and scarier than ever. The frightening possibility that I would not be able to pay for college began to transform more and more into a mortifying reality.
As a non-legal resident of the United States, I do not qualify for any federal or state financial aid, despite my hard work and my family's low income. I tried to look for an alternative, searching for scholarships that would help me cover some tuition costs. However, most scholarships have “must be a citizen or legal resident of the United States” listed as a prerequisite to apply. I have, however, been awarded two scholarships which do not have such requirements. I have applied to and been awarded the Univision Exito Escolar Scholarship, an amount of $1,500 which is tremendously appreciated. I have also been awarded the East Bay College Fund Scholarship. This last one not only provides $4,000 for tuition, but also provides a mentor for me over my college years to ensure I graduate.
Throughout my high school years, I have taken many college courses, most of which will transfer to UC Berkeley and bring me to enough credits to finish college in three years instead of four. I will also be living at home. Considering the credits I have and the money I won’t spend on a dorm room, I will be saving a considerable amount of money. Tuition at Cal is currently $12,460, not counting books and other expenses (which Berkeley estimates will be another $1,314). With the $4,000 East Bay College fund will give me this year, with the $1,500 Univision will give me, and with the $5,000 my parents had in savings, I have a total of $10,500 for this school year. I am close to being able to afford my first year at UC Berkeley, but I still have a long way to go before I can cover my three years in college. I will continue to apply to scholarships and to try to find other ways to raise enough money to cover my tuition costs.
Although I have worked hard to surpass the expectations set by society for a Latino male in Oakland, and although I have acted in accordance to what is expected of a productive member of American society, I face a huge economic barrier, set as a result of my legal status, that prevents me from attending college. I hope to be able to find a way of overcoming that barrier, so that I can continue my pursuit for a higher education at UC Berkley and so that I can provide a successful future for my family and for myself.
My father traveled to America alone and worked for about a year until he was able to find an apartment to settle in. What little money he could get, my father would send to my mother, or would save in order to pay for my mother’s and my way to America. Once he saved the enough money, my mother walked across the U.S.-Mexico border with me, a two year old baby crying my heart out, in hope of a better future for her child. She was led by money-hungry smugglers who could care less for our lives, through tough terrain and solitary hills in which many perils lay. She had to carry me up steep slopes and down even steeper slopes. At the same time, she had to be on her toes, for the people she traveled with were not trustworthy. The smugglers would do anything to ensure they didn’t get caught, so when I began to cry when immigration patrol was inspecting the area and the smugglers and migrants were hidden behind some rocks, the smugglers took me from my mother by force and drugged me with an unknown substance. They would not jeopardize their business because of a baby. After weeks of traveling through the rugged, hilly landscape and then through many California cities, my mother and I had safely made it to Oakland, where we met with my father after a whole year of separation.
There were many job opportunities for my father in Oakland, and he earned enough money to properly feed and clothe me, something he had not been able to do in Mexico. However, the societal conditions here were not any better than in Mexico; the streets were swarming with drug dealers, thieves, gangsters, and many other potential dangers. The huge difference, however, was that through the mind-deteriorating environment in this new home, there existed a chance of progressing, a chance of getting an education and succeeding in life, which was exactly what my parents wanted for me.
At four years old, I attended a head start program, and by third grade was becoming fluent in English. Although I had the disadvantage of learning English as a second language, I was soon performing as well as any other of my classmates on my middle school work, and I eventually surpassed them, even though they had been born in the United States. During that time, I was motivated by the praise of my parents, and partly by the astonishment of my middle school teachers at a low-income student from East Oakland being able to perform at the academic level that I was performing. I was beginning to see what I could achieve, and that in itself was motivation enough for the moment.
Through hard work in middle school at Dolores Huerta Learning Academy, I obtained good grades and became well acquainted with many people in the school. In eighth grade, the advice my parents had given me was put to the test. I ran for school president, working hard to make sure that my classmates knew I was all about action, not just talk. I organized after school sports activities, bake sales, and movie nights in order to prove my leadership skills to the school. Like my parents had told me, hard work pays off; I became school president, making my parents proud in the process. It was the first time that I felt good at accomplishing something not just because of my parents, but because of my own, personal ambition.
As I entered high school and became more independent of my parents, I had to take on a new leadership position, this time more difficult and, to me, more important than the position I had held at Dolores Huerta Learning Academy. My friends in high school began to mature physically, which, in the case of the youth in East Oakland, is not always a good thing. The kids I had known who had aspired to become doctors, firemen, and policemen when they were in middle school now ran amuck in the streets, joining gangs, or selling drugs. Some of them attempted to “stay above the influence,” only to be coaxed into doing drugs or committing crimes soon thereafter. Then, there were some who had managed to stay out of trouble for the most part. However, the streets of East Oakland, as I had come to realize, are unforgiving and unmerciful to all, regardless of any person’s innocence. Because of a mere colors on clothing and shoes, many of my friends and family members, innocent of any crime or gang affiliation, were shot and killed. In the streets of Oakland, wearing red, blue, or black in the wrong neighborhood is enough incentive for a gang member to pull the trigger.
Even if one was careful when going out, security was never a guarantee. My mother, pregnant with my sister, Jacquelyn, was assaulted when walking in broad daylight to the clinic for her scheduled checkup. She attended her appointment on time, without her purse, and with an ear bleeding where the man had hit her. Not even a woman carrying a child is spared from the violence in my city.
Though I had a tough course load through high school and though soccer, my athletic passion, took up a large part of my time, I always took on the role of leading my friends and family through a better path to overcome the dangers of Oakland. I learned to drive, although my family had to spend more of the little money we had on gas, so that my mother could get safely to her destinations while my father was at work. In the case of my friends, I tried to lead them in the way my parents had led me; toward a mentality aimed for success. I wanted them to do well for themselves, but I also had selfish reasons for wanting them to do well in school; the academic road for success has always been extremely lonely for me without my friends, which has made it all the more difficult. Despite my constant complaining about the lifestyle that they lived and despite the continuous advice that I tried to give them, my friends were headed for failure. They did drugs, partied, and spent their time on the street. By the eleventh grade, most of the friends I had known since middle school were either pregnant, alcoholics, gang members, drug addicts, or a combination of these. While they had what they called “fun,” I spent my time tackling math problems, writing essays for my English class, and studying, knowing that I had to overcome the destructive environment of Oakland through my education in order to ensure a successful future. I tried to get many of my friends to realize that their hard work in school would pay off if they just tried, but even if they would not listen, I was determined to ensure my own future. I had the words “I will succeed” carved deeply into my mind. My eyes were firmly set for a future with a college education and economic stability, and I was determined to get there. However, as my senior year in high school progressed, I began to see an immense, new barrier preventing me from reaching my goal of a college education; I would not have anywhere near enough money to pay for my college tuition.
Starting in February, I began getting acceptance letters in the mail. I received letters from many colleges offering me admission into their class of 2014, but on March 25th, I received an online notification from the university that I had been waiting to hear from all along; I had been accepted into the University of California, Berkeley. Now that the wait for admission notifications was over, the ghost that had been haunting me at intervals throughout my whole senior year appeared, this time more solidly and scarier than ever. The frightening possibility that I would not be able to pay for college began to transform more and more into a mortifying reality.
As a non-legal resident of the United States, I do not qualify for any federal or state financial aid, despite my hard work and my family's low income. I tried to look for an alternative, searching for scholarships that would help me cover some tuition costs. However, most scholarships have “must be a citizen or legal resident of the United States” listed as a prerequisite to apply. I have, however, been awarded two scholarships which do not have such requirements. I have applied to and been awarded the Univision Exito Escolar Scholarship, an amount of $1,500 which is tremendously appreciated. I have also been awarded the East Bay College Fund Scholarship. This last one not only provides $4,000 for tuition, but also provides a mentor for me over my college years to ensure I graduate.
Throughout my high school years, I have taken many college courses, most of which will transfer to UC Berkeley and bring me to enough credits to finish college in three years instead of four. I will also be living at home. Considering the credits I have and the money I won’t spend on a dorm room, I will be saving a considerable amount of money. Tuition at Cal is currently $12,460, not counting books and other expenses (which Berkeley estimates will be another $1,314). With the $4,000 East Bay College fund will give me this year, with the $1,500 Univision will give me, and with the $5,000 my parents had in savings, I have a total of $10,500 for this school year. I am close to being able to afford my first year at UC Berkeley, but I still have a long way to go before I can cover my three years in college. I will continue to apply to scholarships and to try to find other ways to raise enough money to cover my tuition costs.
Although I have worked hard to surpass the expectations set by society for a Latino male in Oakland, and although I have acted in accordance to what is expected of a productive member of American society, I face a huge economic barrier, set as a result of my legal status, that prevents me from attending college. I hope to be able to find a way of overcoming that barrier, so that I can continue my pursuit for a higher education at UC Berkley and so that I can provide a successful future for my family and for myself.
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