May 17, 2008

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Las Becas Universitarias y La Ciudadania

"Yo no califico para muchas becas, porque aun no soy ciudadana de Los Estados Unidos."

Listen to this Commentary!

By Gaby Arvizu

Gabriela Arvizu es una estudiante de Youth Radio. En el siguente comentario, nos cuenta de lo que ha descubierto en su busqueda para becas universitarias.

Como si el proceso de aplicar para becas universitarias no fuera suficientemente dificil, estoy enfrentando otro problema. Yo no califico para muchas becas, porque aun no soy ciudadana de Los Estados Unidos.

Recientemente supe de una beca de cinco mil dolares para patinadores. Como no hay muchas muchachas que patinan con patineta, pense que tenia una buena posibilidad de conseguir esa beca. Cumpli con todos los requisitos, menos el ultimo: “la persona tiene que ser cuidadana.” Me parecio injusto, porque he vivido en California desde que tenia dos anos.

Durante high school he mantenido un promedio de 3.0 y he participado en muchas actividades en la comunidad. Es frustrante saber que todas esas actividades no me ayudaran a conseguir becas.

No debe importar donde naci. Yo pienso que debo tener los mismos derechos que otros tienen. He hecho tanto para mi comunidad y mi escuela. Saber que estas actividades no “cuentan” me hace sentir como una extranjera.


English Version:

University Scholarships and Citizenship

As if applying for college scholarships weren’t already stressful enough, I’m facing another challenge on top of that. I’m not even eligible for many scholarships, because I’m not a U.S. citizen yet.

Recently I heard about a five thousand dollar skateboarding scholarship. Let’s face it, there aren’t too many girls who skate. So as a young female skater, I thought I had a good chance to get that scholarship. I met every requirement on the list, except for the last one: “applicant MUST be a U.S. citizen”. It didn’t seem fair.

All throughout high school I’ve maintained a 3.0 and participated in as many extracurricular activities as possible. But it’s frustrating to learn all that stress and all those activities don’t count for much when it comes to finding college money.

It shouldn’t matter where I was born. I should have the same rights everybody else. I’ve done so much to give back to my community and my school. Knowing that all those activities don’t “count” makes me feel like an outsider.


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