Stories |
Texas Teen Tells Her Class She’s Undocumented In Her Valedictorian Speech
By Fidel Martinez June 9, 2016 “They told me I couldn’t, so I did.”Larissa Martinez graduated at the top of her class at MicKinney Boyd High School in McKinney, Texas, with a 4.95 GPA. The Texas teen’s accomplishments paid off. She was admitted to Yale on a full ride. Martinez accomplished all of this while being undocumented, a fact that was a secret up until her valedictorian speech. Martinez bared her soul over the course of her nine-minute speech, telling her classmates that she and her family (her mother and sister) fled Mexico to escape an abusive and alcoholic father, and how she had to give up part of her childhood to raise her younger sister, as her mother worked all the time to afford their one-bedroom apartment. Midway through her speech, Martinez confessed that she was an undocumented immigrant, and asked the crowd for their compassion. “The most important part of the debate and is often overlooked is that immigrants, undocumented or otherwise, are people, too,” she said, clearly fighting back emotion. “People with dreams, aspirations, hopes and loved ones. People like me. People who have become a part of the American society and way of life and who yearn to help make ‘America great again’ without the construction of a wall built on hatred and prejudice.” As soon as Larissa Martinez finished her speech, the building erupted in a standing ovation. Before you click the play button, we suggest you grab a tissue. UNDOCUMENTED SANTA ANA SCHOLAR ACCEPTED TO HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL
SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- Blanca Morales celebrated a major step in her journey toward becoming a doctor. The Santa Ana resident was recently accepted to Harvard medical school. It's a journey that started when her family moved from Mexico to the U.S. when she was 5 years old. "Believing that I could eventually become a doctor, even though I didn't know how it would happen," Morales said. With the support and encouragement of her family, she graduated valedictorian from Santa Ana high school, and with honors from the University California, Irvine. Her undocumented status made her ineligible for federal student loans. "You struggle so much to get your degree, to go through your education, but what happens after that, how can you use your education?" Morales questioned. Without citizenship, Blanca couldn't apply to work in the medical field. While working at Mary Kay, she joined Health Scholars, a program started by Dr. Marco Angulo to train students to help underserved communities. "She epitomizes the Health Scholars program," Angelo stated. "She epitomizes the community. And it's so personal to her, you can tell." Now, Harvard offered Blanca financial aid to cover the cost of tuition. Blanca is allowed to work and school because of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. The immigration policy made her eligible for a renewable two-year work permit. Blanca and her husband were working to get her a green card. Regardless, she hoped to finish school and come back to serve Santa Ana. "Gave me so much in terms of education and encouragement and education and opportunities," Morales said. "I want to return some of that." http://abc7.com/1388040/ |