Speech #1140062204

That is an extraordinary school. My son went there. so I am partial. but it is an extraordinary school because it gave her a chance. Keep in mind that this young lady. because she is undocumented. doesnt qualify for any government assistancenone. Sacrifices had to be made by her family and others to help her go to Marquette. She went there. She was on the deans list. double majorpolitical science and English literature. She worked part time as a waitress to make ends meet to pay for her college expenses. She became involved in advocating for immigration reform. In 2010 Maricela was here in the Senate Gallery along with hundreds of other DREAMers when the Senate failed to pass the DREAM Act due to a Republican filibuster. We got a majority of votes. we couldnt get 60. I met with Maricela in 2011 when she came to Washington to talk about her concerns about DREAMers just like herself who faced deportation. In 2012 Maricela graduated with honors. in the top 10 percent of her graduating class at Marquette in Milwaukee. WI. Later that year President Obama created the deferred action plan that gave her and hundreds of thousands of others a chance to stay and not be deported. She was able to apply and go to graduate school at Brandeis University in Boston. She continues to work on immigration reform and is a leader of the Student Immigration Movement of Massachusetts. She is going to return to Milwaukee when she graduates. she promises. She wants to become a public school teacher so she can use her education to help young people in the city where she grew up.