APS valedictorian loses scholarships because he is an illegal immigrant (public school, university)

[CCATL]

Originally Posted by suzy_q2010

I'm just going to "call it out blatantly". All valedictorians are not created equal.

Georgia schools lay unequal foundations for college | www.ajc.com

Marlon's school does offer AP courses and dual enrollment for college credit, so I suspect he is well prepared. However, I still think that there are legal residents of all colors and backgrounds - including some from struggling schools - who are just as well or better prepared. Sorry, they should get the admission slots and the financial support.

There are PLENTY of schools throughout the state of Georgia that don't have the funding to offer multiple AP courses. Most schools now DO NOT have the funding to pay for the AP exams at the end of the school year, leaving that up to schools as well. Who do you think can pay for those expensive exams, making an AP class worth it? I'll give you a hint, it's not poor people. You're basically saying that if a student's school doesn't offer AP classes, or if they are in a school that is not performing as highly (according to standardized tests, which are absolutely horrible in their own right - multiple studies show that rather than determining the academic success of a school, the scores correlate highly with poverty and therefore, race), then a valedictorian there isn't as good as a valedictorian in a wealthier school. That's horrible. Call it out however you want, but I'll just hope you're not the one out there making any kind of educational policy - it's those opinions, which are not based on any kind of fact, that creates greater educational and income gaps that are stratified by race.

ResidingHere - "In many ways I also agree with Suzy. He is not a legal resident and therefore shouldn't have access to HOPE due to that. I don't think he should be denied admission though to schools in GA but I don't think he should qualify for any state or federal financial aid.

But he does qualify for federal aid and he was accepted to Fisk on a full ride. Fisk is in TN, not far from GA. He has choices and should accept them" (Sorry, I don't know how to reply to more than one post at the same time!)

If he is qualified for federal aid, and goes to school in another state, Georgia is losing out. Bigoted laws like Georgia's immigration policies, while they sound great to those who can't think critically (not saying you, but a good many voters in Georgia), make us suffer economically. A student who was educated in our schools, and therefore used Georgia's public funds, and could potentially contribute to Georgia's taxes and society in a positive way in the future, needs to leave. Now all that money already spent on him, which is huge compared to what he would take from the HOPE scholarship, has now gone to waste because he won't stay here. That's a shame, and it is happening way more than you think. This isn't just one student, this is just the one that we heard about.

Also important to note, there is not one piece of education research that shows that illegal immigrant students being accepted into any university or scholarship program take the spots of legal resident students. None. Illegal students who are qualified to get into universities should be able to go, and should receive the scholarships they have worked so hard for.

For all those who listen only to political talking points to make their decisions on what should happen with illegal immigrant students, please take a look at this book: "We Are Americans: Undocumented Students Pursuing the American Dream" by William Perez. If you have any interest on immigration policy and its effects on undocumented students, you will find this book interesting. It's an easy read, and will give you not only some true research on undocumented students, but also stories about living in the US from their own perspective. Right now, many people speak as disconnected from the actual situation - maybe this book will give you a different perspective as your read about their lives and hardships - it adds a face to the argument.

[Iconographer]

It is a regrettable situation. If you want to blame something, blame our government for its failure to enforce our existing immigration laws.

[gt6974a]

Illegal Immigrants should not be taking a spot from legal residents of the state, no matter what. It's that simple.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

It is a regrettable situation. If you want to blame something, blame our government for its failure to enforce our existing immigration laws.

A voice of reason.

[demonta4]

Originally Posted by gt6974a

Illegal Immigrants should not be taking a spot from legal residents of the state, no matter what. It's that simple.

I don't see how he's taking a spot if he's already the best in his school.

[lvoc]

Originally Posted by suzy_q2010

Yes, this is a smart kid. However, I would give the slot and the financial support to the guy or gal who is a legal citizen and just missed being a salutatorian before giving it to someone who is here illegally. I suspect that would provide sufficient spice.

You however ducked on what should happen if he gets legal status. Does he get his scholarship back and admitted to GA Tech? Would that not be appropriate?

[CCATL]

Originally Posted by gt6974a

Illegal Immigrants should not be taking a spot from legal residents of the state, no matter what. It's that simple.

But they're not taking a spot from legal residents. Multiple studies show this. There has never been a legal resident rejected because an illegal immigrant took their place. If they are qualified they get in. If they were not qualified and rejected, but an illegal immigrant was qualified and accepted, that does not mean the illegal immigrant took a space. So really, it's not nearly as simple as you think it is. But again, that tends to be the problem with people completely disconnected from and uneducated concerning this situation - you make assumptions without doing the research, and those assumptions harm both our economy AND our students.

[CCATL]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

It is a regrettable situation. If you want to blame something, blame our government for its failure to enforce our existing immigration laws.

I agree. If our immigration policies were effective in keeping people from illegally residing in the US, then we wouldn't have this problem. However, since they are so ineffective that families are able to come and raise their children in our schools for 17+ years, those children should not suffer.

[LovelySummer]

Yuck. Why are you trying to tear him down? Were you the valedictorian of YOUR class?

There is nothing worse than an armchair quarterback talking a bunch of crap and tryi g to tear someone down. He was the BEST IN HIS SCHOOL. Period. Kudos to this young man for his hard work.

Go find another child to tear down.

Originally Posted by suzy_q2010

I am sure he is a smart kid. I am not convinced that there are not students who are legal residents of the state who are just as smart or smarter.



The exceptional SAT and ACT scores usually get publicity. That this student's have not been mentioned just makes me think that they were not exceptional.

He was initially admitted to UGA, and the class that will enter UGA in the fall has fairly impressive statistics:

UGA first-year students set academic criteria records | UGA Today

"The entering freshman class has set records for academic criteria, attaining an average GPA of 3.9. The mid-50 percentile GPA range is 3.79-4.06. Additionally, this class has the highest SAT average in UGA history with combined mean critical reading and math scores of 1289 plus an average writing score of 624, for a total of 1913 on the 2400 scale-16 points higher than last year's incoming class. The mid-50 percentile of the class scored between 1840-2110. This year's mean score for students who took the ACT was 29, with a mid-50 percentile range of 27-31.

The Honors Program will enroll 525 new students in the first-year class who have accomplished an average high school GPA of 4.09. Incoming Honors students have an average SAT score of 1465 or an average ACT score of 33."

I am just curious about his SAT/ACT scores. I would not expect them to be released without his permission. His GPA does not even put him in the top 25% of admitted students at UGA.

I'm just going to "call it out blatantly". All valedictorians are not created equal.

Georgia schools lay unequal foundations for college | www.ajc.com

Marlon's school does offer AP courses and dual enrollment for college credit, so I suspect he is well prepared. However, I still think that there are legal residents of all colors and backgrounds - including some from struggling schools - who are just as well or better prepared. Sorry, they should get the admission slots and the financial support.

[suzy_q2010]

Originally Posted by LovelySummer

Yuck. Why are you trying to tear him down? Were you the valedictorian of YOUR class?

There is nothing worse than an armchair quarterback talking a bunch of crap and tryi g to tear someone down. He was the BEST IN HIS SCHOOL. Period. Kudos to this young man for his hard work.

Go find another child to tear down.

Perhaps you did not read the first sentence in my post that you quoted:

I am sure he is a smart kid. I am convinced that there are students who are legal residents of the state who are just as smart or smarter.

The point I have made is that there are students in the state who are just as smart and just as deserving as this kid who are also legally here. Those who are here illegally should not be given preference over them.

FYI: I graduated from high school in 1966. My school did not select a valedictorian or salutatorian. Let's just say I would have been in the running if it did.