I know this family. They are exactly the type of family who should be granted citizenship. Hardworking, never took a penny from the government, making it, have their own house, working very hard, educating themselves, not a lazy one amongst them, not a thug, not a druggie. The all American family...except for one thing. Local students hope film makes dreams come true By Leonard Sparks Times Herald-Record June 01, 2014 - 2:00 AM MONTICELLO — At Monticello High School, Kemberly Gil built an all-American girls resume. Honor rolls. Cheerleading, soccer and track. Induction into the National Honor Society. Senior class president. But as classmates got drivers licenses and jobs and began applying to colleges, Gil faced the growing weight of a truth she had kept hidden until freshman year: She is a Colombian-born undocumented immigrant who came to the country when she was 3. It was a truth that made her ineligible for financial aid programs. The closer I got to my senior year, the more I realized that everyone else was going to go off to college and I was going to have to find a way to get the money to go to college, said Gil, 18. Gil told her story before a camera as part of a documentary project undertaken by kids in the Youth Arts Group of the Poughkeepsie-based Rural & Migrant Ministry. One year ago, she and others in the group, including students from Middletown and Newburgh, began the project under the guidance of noted filmmaker and photographer Roberto Robin Romano. Now, more than six months after Romanos untimely death, the students are trying to raise money to finish the film. Their hope is it will attract more support for the DREAM Act — legislation giving undocumented students access to state financial aid. It really is our goal to finish it, so we can spread the word, said Sarina Wallace, 15, a Middletown High School sophomore. Gil, Wallace and other local students gathered footage, including interviews with undocumented students and immigrant families, under Romanos tutelage before he died on Nov. 1, 2013. Part of the footage is being used to raise $12,000 via the fundraising website Indiegogo. Funding would cover a professional editor, music rights and stipends for students working to complete the film, tentatively titled Dreamers Among Us. They have raised just under $2,000 so far. Who else is going to fight for us if we cant fight for ourselves? Gil said. Gil successfully applied for an Obama administration program that temporarily protects eligible immigrants from deportation and allows them to get drivers licenses and work legally. A combination of scholarships and personal savings will allow her to start attending SUNY Brockport in the fall. Sandra, an undocumented student from Mexico and 2013 Middletown High School graduate who wanted just her first name used, is in limbo, however. She earned some scholarships, but not enough to cover a full year at SUNY Orange. I just want this film to be done and finished because of the millions of DREAMers who are out there and afraid, she said. lsparks@th-record
Posted on: Sun, 01 Jun 2014 12:49:07 +0000