STUDENT VOICES
IMMIGRATION STORIES
Things I Don't Want
Age 16
Driving permit: first step to freedom
Age 17
State ID to watch 300 and Superbad at the box office
Age 18
Birthday, midnight. First lottery scratcher from 7-Eleven.
A summer job at In-n-Out Burger or Cold Stone Creamery
California driver's license with an embarrassing headshot
Second-hand car that costs more to maintain than buy
Age 19
Pell grants, Cal grants, and Federal grants on my financial aid award letter
Ability to accept UC Regents scholarship for exceptional high school academics
Work-study job at Moffitt or Doe: getting paid to arrange books
Age 20
Part-time internship at Fremont Medical Group Incorporated
Age 22
Federal Stafford loans to pay for medical school
Every Year
A day without fear, a life without bars, visibility, status, legality, papers,
my own nine-digit
About the Author
Jirayut is one of E4FC's 2010 Scholars. He emigrated from Thailand to the United States when he was 9 years old. Throughout high school, he worked over 30 hours a week to save money for college. He also volunteered regularly at the Sacramento Food Bank. His perseverance and hard work earned him recognition as an AP Scholar With Distinction and the honor of being his class salutatorian. An aspiring medical doctor, New is now a junior at UC Berkeley majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology. Throughout college, he has been able to maintain a 3.7 GPA while being involved in groups such as the Thai Student Association and the Asian American Medical Student Association.
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