Fuller-4th pd
Adv. Eng. IIII
4-10-13
The Dream Act
Major Points: * Undocumented immigrants are not able to fulfill their dream * The nation is wasting helpful youth * Dream Act is also beneficial for citizens or legal residents who don’t meet state residency requirements
Summary
The article “Dream Act Students apply for college aid” by Jill Tucker tells about how the California Dream Act has become a dream-saver for hundreds of students residing in California. Sharon is one of those hundreds that are now able to apply for financial aid, and attend college. Students of California High Schools can now receive up to $12,000 in grants to pay for college. Tucker states that “without a piece of paper saying they belonged here, they couldn’t apply for financial aid, and without the help, they couldn’t afford higher education” (Tucker, 2013, p 2). Sharon at age 12 was brought to the US illegally from Mexico. Like every other immigrant, she was in the pursuit of a better life. Quickly she learned the English language, and became a top notch scholar. Currently she is a graduating senior, with a GPA of 4.4. Sharon could be of much use to the US, but she legal status prevents that. California’s senator Mark Leno says “we often hear and use the phrase that our youth is our nation’s greatest resource….Prior to the Dream Act, we were not making use of a significant portion of our greatest resource. It made no sense… to be so wasteful” (Tucker, 2013, p 2). Leno says this referring to wasting the contribution that illegal students can make to the US. In this article, it also mentions the fact that the California Dream Act can also help citizens and legal residents that do not meet state residency requirements. This California Dream Act is a role model for numerous other states, and it hopes that the entire nation will approve of a legislation similar.
Resources
Tucker, J. (2013, January 27). Dream Act students apply for college aid -