California dreaming: Will the state give scholarships to its undocumented youths?

08-31-2011

By Jens Erik Gould/Time

Justino Mora is an undocumented Mexican. He crossed the U.S. border illegally with his family when he was 11 years old, fleeing poverty and physical abuse from his father. Upon arrival, he was bullied by other kids because he didn't speak English. Soon he started working under-the-table jobs in manual labor, making just $5 an hour to help support his mother. Now he's 22 years old. You would assume he hasn't had much time for school. Quite the contrary. Mora will attend UCLA this fall, pursuing a double major in computer science and political science. He just graduated from community college with a 3.7 grade-point average and became one of the school's best cross-country runners. In high school, he was in the top 10% of his class after he quickly learned English in middle school. To top it off, he's a political activist working for immigrant rights. (more...)

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California dreaming: Will the state give scholarships to its undocumented youths?

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