Keeping the Dream Alive: Undocumented Students Eye Uncertain Future, as Federal Reform Stalls

OKLAHOMA CITY: "Marcos dreams of being an architect. Maria wants to be a child psychologist and a teacher. Julia isn’t sure what type of career she would pursue, but she loves writing and has already written a play.  The three are high-school students at Santa Fe South School in Oklahoma City. They say they love school—even the public charter’s unusually long nearly eight-hour days—and they want to make something of their lives.  But when asked about college, all three look away and demur from answering. Eventually they talk tentatively of attending a local community college and then maybe transferring to Oklahoma State University. But, Marcos says, they find it hard to plan for college since they are undocumented immigrants in a state known for anti-immigrant laws and policies. On a daily basis they worry about being deported or having their parents deported." - Kari Lydersen, Apr. 26, 2012.