{"id":1943,"date":"2020-02-13T09:46:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-13T09:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/developmenttwo.marymount.edu\/blog\/immigrant-students-speak-out-for-justice-during-ethics-week-panel\/"},"modified":"2020-02-13T09:46:00","modified_gmt":"2020-02-13T09:46:00","slug":"immigrant-students-speak-out-for-justice-during-ethics-week-panel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marymount.edu\/blog\/immigrant-students-speak-out-for-justice-during-ethics-week-panel\/","title":{"rendered":"Immigrant students speak out for justice during Ethics Week panel"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u0093It was always a life hidden in the shadows for me and my family.\u0094
\n\u00a0
\nOn Wednesday morning, a panel of Marymount University students opened up to a near-full crowd in the Reinsch Auditorium about the various challenges they have faced on their pursuit of higher education. All born outside the U.S., the students shared their views and experiences on the topic of social justice for immigrants during a time of intense deportation and detention.
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\nThe panel was held during Marymount\u0092s 2020 Ethics Week<\/a>, which incorporates various talks, discussions, exhibits and events to highlight the importance of ethics in today\u0092s world. John Gehring, Catholic program director at Faith in Public Life<\/a>, moderated the discussion on the first stop of his national tour of Catholic universities, where he is engaging in conversations of faith and activism with diverse students and community members.
\n\u00a0
\n\u0093Today, immigrants across the country are being targeted with ugly and cruel treatment,\u0094 Gehring explained. \u0093We need to hear the personal stories of these young immigrants in order to change hearts and minds, which will then lead to public policy change.\u0094
\n\u00a0
\nAll of the Marymount students featured on the panel reflected on their journeys to the U.S. at a very young age, and the struggles they encountered after they arrived. Derman Amaya, who escaped gang violence in El Salvador, grew up without his parents and lived with his grandmother. He recalls not knowing how to communicate in English, in addition to having limited reading and writing ability in Spanish.
\n\u00a0
\n\u0093I didn\u0092t even really know my own language because I didn\u0092t grow up in the best environment, but I was able to overcome these challenges and get here,\u0094 Amaya said. \u0093Many institutions lock people like us out and have restrictions on scholarships, but Marymount offered me the resources I needed. I feel like they helped me fulfill what I was capable of doing.\u0094
\n\u00a0
\nSophomore sociology major Mirna, who requested her last name be withheld, remembers her father leaving El Salvador when she was just four years old. She didn\u0092t see him again until she was 15. Since then, she has become the first one in her family to attend college.
\n\u00a0
\n\u0093I had a really tough time applying to college. For a lot of students like us, we could be deported at any time,\u0094 Mirna said. \u0093I\u0092m not sure what would\u0092ve happened if it wasn\u0092t for that one high school counselor who inspired me. We need more people like that who can motivate young students like us to embrace who we are, in order to change the mindset.\u0094
\n\u00a0
\nThe third student on the panel, Veronica Olivera, discussed the struggles she faced in paying for higher education. Originally from Bolivia, the junior business major started at a Virginia community college and paid out-of-state tuition \u0096 as many undocumented students are deemed ineligible for in-state tuition at public colleges and universities. She would later transfer to Marymount, and secured a scholarship from the Dream Project<\/a> to go towards her academic expenses.
\n\u00a0
\n\u0093To better advocate for young immigrants and their success, we need more scholarships that are available to Dreamers and DACA students,\u0094 Olivera said. \u0093Education can change the world for us.\u0094
\n\u00a0
\nThe panelists also took time to describe their career aspirations, and how they hope to improve what they see as a flawed system. Mirna, who is currently minoring in law, hopes to become an immigration attorney someday and help others who are disadvantaged. Amaya, meanwhile, expressed a desire to return to his home country and reshape it for the better.
\n\u00a0
\n\u0093A lot of immigrants use their experiences to help their own communities,\u0094 he explained. \u0093That\u0092s why I\u0092m studying business, because I want to change the lives of people in my country. I don\u0092t want them to go through the things that I went through.\u0094<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u0093It was always a life hidden in the shadows for me and my family.\u0094 \u00a0 On Wednesday morning, a panel of Marymount University students opened up to a near-full crowd in the Reinsch Auditorium about the various challenges they have faced on their pursuit of higher education. All born outside the U.S., the students shared […]<\/p>\n

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