My dad felt bad when I told him I was going to start courses at a local community college. I was fifty-something. I knew he’d be hurt because he was ashamed of the fact that he couldn’t afford to have his three kids go to college and instead, encouraged our entry into the full-time work force at age sixteen. Since high school, there wasn’t ever really enough extra money for me to pay my own tuition until now.
Then I see this headline in our local paper: Immigrant Tuition Endorsed. Doesn’t say, "Illegal Immigrant" etc., but that’s what it means. And to be fair, what it covers is that children of illegal aliens will be given the opportunity to go to Connecticut State Colleges at the reduced state residency rate (something like $5,000 versus $20,000).
The news last night had some coverage on it too. I watched as a young woman, the daughter of illegal immigrants, told the reporter "I should have that right. I didn’t ask to be brought here." She added, "I want to go to college so I can get a better job."
Well, so did I.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology