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Ms. Gutierrez has a writing conference with Edith Flores while Concepcion Bermudez waits her turn. Edith, Concepcion, and the other students in ESOL 4 wrote letters to Congresswomen Connie Morella about a new law they want her to support. |
From the Letter of Anjana Luitel
Hi, Mrs. Morella. I am Anjana Luitel from Nepal.
I have been living in the USA for one year. In this short time I have noticed
that the USA is full of eager immigrants. Unfortunately, I have also noticed
that there are lots of immigrant youth who have many problems to go college
because of finances. For example, there are so many talented immigrants here,
but because of expensive education in college, they cannot get higher education
as their desire.
I know that I will have to face that problem,
too. My parents do not have enough money to support my family; therefore, it
would be difficult for me to go to college. I want to go to college, just as
other immigrant youth do. This is my right; therefore, I kindly request you
to support the new legislation called the “DREAM ACT” which gives
us the opportunity to go college.
As I said this country is full immigrants; therefore,
you have to think that these immigrant youth are future generation of this country.
What will happen if you don’t let them attend college? The country will
not be successful as now because of lower opportunity of higher education. You
have to think about this country’s future.
If you support this DREAM ACT, we will be able
to attend college. We will be able to handle this nation as you do. Our dream
of going to college will come true.
From the Letter of Edith Flores
My name is Edith and I’m in the last year
of high school. After high school, I would like to study business administration.
I really want to succeed in this country, but I know that I will face financial
difficulties paying for college. That’s why I would like to request your
support for this law to open access to college for all the Hispanic and other
students who really want to study hard in the United States. For those of us
without papers, it also allows us the opportunity to obtain residency or citizenship,
enabling us to contribute fully to our society.
Every day, I wake up at five o’clock to
prepare for school and to try to do my best in the my best in each class. I
also dedicate a lot of time for homework and projects. Of course I get good
grades and my GPA is high. Unfortunately, when I think about college I’m
not sure that I will be able to go because I only have temporary protective
status in this country and I can’t apply for scholarships or loans. My
parents can’t help me either because they work hard only to pay all the
bills and the rest they spend on food. When I start to think about that I think
it is an unfair. If I get the opportunity, I will really take studies at the
university very seriously
The Dream Act is a critical bill, not only for
me and for all immigrant students, but also for the whole nation. This piece
of legislation will help to increase the economy of this country. If this bill
becomes a law, then the county will have more students continuing their studies
and after a while they will have better jobs and more money. Consequently they
will have to pay more taxes to the country. The more money we earn, the more
we will give to our country, America. I think that there are many reasons to
support the Dream Act. It is just fair that we, Hispanics and other immigrant
students, have the right to pursue a higher level of education.
From the Letter of Karen Zavala
My name is Karen Zavala I have been in this
country for two years. I’m in 12th grade at Montgomery Blair High School
and I’m planning to go to college next year. I came from El Salvador to
achieve a dream that both my mother and I share. My dream is to be a professional
teacher to help others. However to accomplish this dream I need to have the
opportunity to go to college. My mother has been working very hard in this country
for 13 years to give me a better future. The best way that I think to repay
her for everything she has done for me is to become someone important in this
society. I promise if you help to pass this bill every immigrant will have the
opportunity to go to college, so our dreams can be true. That way in thefuture
we will be able to help the entire nation to be more productive because if more
students have the opportunity to go to college there will be more professional
people in this country. Also, I think if more
Hispanics and immigrants have the opportunity to study, there will be less discrimination
for us because one of the most important reasons why we are discriminated against
is because we are a big population in this country, but just a few of us are
professionals. The stereotype that America has for Hispanics is that we are
ignorant and lazy, that the only thing that we can do is clean. But that is
not true! My mother is the living proof that we are not lazy. But to become
more than a cleaner is to have the opportunity that she never had because her
parents were very poor. If it is in your hands to help people like me, I implore
you to do it. The whole nation will be proud to have people like you in this
country fighting for the rights of us, the immigrants.
I encourage you to support the DREAM ACT, and
help us by making higher education more affordable.
