We are happy to announce that we have a new student among our ranks. Angela Brenda Villa is from Mexico, and we are so happy to be able to help her. Angela’s story is, unfortunately, all too common these days. Her mother, Lourdes, came to the United States in the early 1990s to work. She lived in southern California, working and raising her two US-born children, Angela and Oscar. She was picked up in 2009 and deported to Nogales, Sonora, leaving her two children with nearby relatives for more than a year. Lourdes tried five times to get back to her children, desperate to reunite with her family. Each time she was caught and deported back to Mexico. The last time, she was put in a for-profit prison for five weeks, something that was so horrible she swore she couldn’t go through it again, so she relocated to Mexico City, where Angela came to join her. Unfortunately, she can’t find much work at all to support her and her daughter. In Mexico, if you are in your 40s and don’t have a profession, it’s very challenging to find a job. Lourdes does odd jobs and some house-cleaning, but makes very little money for even the necessities, and paying for school is a huge struggle.

Angela is very bright. Her last report card was an average of 88%. But in addition to trying to study and do well in school, she now is having to adjust to a new life and a new language in a country she has never known. In addition to this, Angela needs to have paperwork to receive her dual citizenship. She is a US citizen, but can’t continue in school without her Mexican citizenship as well.

We have awarded a scholarship to Angela to be able to continue with her studies, and for the first year only, enough money to get her dual citizenship, which will allow her to stay in school. When she is old enough and has completed some more education, she will be able to decide whether she wants to return to the US, or stay in Mexico. At least she will have a choice, and perhaps enough of an education to achieve a career. In her letter to us, she said, “I want to have a career. I don’t want to be one of those people who look for work but can’t find it because they don’t have a career.” We hope that for you too, Angela. Muy buena suerte!