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DePauw 'Dreamer' Anna Munoz addesses Capitol Hill news conference
A DePauw University "Dreamer" took her dreams to Capitol Hill Wednesday afternoon.
"Today I am more open-minded and passionate thanks to my professors and peers at DePauw University who challenge me to ask the difficult questions and to realize that every single person has a story worth hearing," DePauw junior Anna Muņoz told a news conference in Washington, D.C. "Today I am here on Capitol Hill to share my own story to lawmakers in hopes that they truly listen."
The event was presented by the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, a collective effort to improve how colleges and universities address immigration-related matters affecting their campuses (DePauw joined the Alliance last month).
Muņoz spoke on behalf of fellow "Dreamers," undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. She was the only student to speak at the news conference; DePauw President D. Mark McCoy was among the college leaders present at the gathering.
Muņoz told how her parents brought her to the United States from Mexico as a two-year-old and how they struggled in America.
"I realized what it meant to be undocumented in this country when I was in high school," she told the news conference. "My father simply told me college is not an option unless I got a scholarship.
"At the time, and still today, undocumented students do not qualify for federal financial aid ... I knew I had to work harder than my counterparts, who often took education for granted. Today I am eternally grateful for my counselor, who nominated me for the Lilly Endowment Scholarship that now funds my education at DePauw University."
She noted, "There are many stories like mine but I want to recognize that there are also thousands of stories of Dreamers who haven't had the same opportunities for a reason of their control. Their stories are equally important as mine, and just as worthy of your consideration."
After the session, Muņoz joined Dr. McCoy and other presidents in the Alliance as they met with lawmakers in the Capitol to call on Congress to pass a permanent legislative solution to protect undocumented youth, students and other Dreamers from deportation.
The Presidents Alliance now includes 234 American college and university presidents and chancellors from across the country.
A neuroscience major and biochemistry and French minor, Muņoz said, "My dream is to become a physician who opens a free clinic, because growing up I did not have access to health care so I attended these free clinics."