From 1989 to 2006, I grew up in the United States as an undocumented alien. With my mother's encouragement and the support of friends and family, I had the good fortune of attending the Collegiate School, an elite all-boys school on Manhattan's Upper West Side. From there I went on to matriculate at Princeton, where I graduated in June 2006 as the Salutatorian of my class.
My life story and experiences are the subject of the articles linked on the left-hand menu. In an effort to adjust my immigrant status, my lawyer, Stephen Yale-Loehr, filed for a retroactive change of status on my behalf in the spring of 2006. Although our application was unsuccessful, Mr. Yale-Loehr continued to work on my behalf. Uncertain when I would be allowed to return, I left the United States in the fall of 2006 to begin a Masters degree in Classics at Oxford University, with funding from the Daniel M. Sachs Class of 1960 Graduating Scholarship at Princeton. When Princeton later that fall offered to hire me as a part-time Research Specialist for a project being run by its Classics Department, Mr. Yale-Loehr's hard work and dedication proved absolutely essential in helping me obtain an H-1B visa. It is thanks to him that I have been allowed back in the States during my vacations from Oxford, to do research that I love for an institution that I greatly care for.
If you are interested in contributing to a legal fund to offset some of Mr. Yale-Loehr's expenses, please see the items on the right-hand menu. To any undocumented high school or college students who are reading this: if you would like to talk, trade stories, or just vent, please feel free to contact me. I can be reached at [email protected].
Thank you for reading.
Make a contribution (not tax-deductible) to:
Miller Mayer, LLP
Attn: Stephen Yale-Loehr
202 East State Street, Suite 700
Ithaca, NY 14850
Or, you can make a tax-deductible contribution to:
Oiste: The Massachusetts Latino Civic Education
Initiative
Dan-el Padilla Peralta Fund c/o Giovanna Negretti
59 Temple Place, Suite 500
Boston, MA 02111
Either way, please indicate that you want your contribution to be applied toward my legal expenses.
All help is appreciated.
Sachs Scholarship Announcement
Salutatorian Announcement
University Commencement
The Daily Prince on Commencement
Print Media
NY Daily News
Newark Star-Ledger
Princeton Packet 1
Princeton Packet 2
TV Links
ABC News
CNN: Anderson Cooper 360
What does it mean to be American?:
USA Today and July 4th
Writing for PBS's Generation Next dialogue series