Letter: Let all students pursue dreams

Tuesday, March 5, 2002 | 8:50 a.m.

A Feb. 22 article in the Sun described how Surisadai Maya, a graduating 17-year-old who was brought to the United States illegally by her parents when she was 5, might be denied a Millennium Scholarship in spite of the fact that she has an excellent academic record. The reason for her possible exclusion from this program is that she is of undocumented immigrant status.

It would be a shame and a loss to Nevada if students such as Surisadai are prevented from pursuing their higher education dreams in Nevada's colleges and universities. Study after study has demonstrated that individuals who go on to achieve higher educational goals become highly productive members of society. Indeed, this country, if anything, needs more college graduates to fill the many vacancies for highly skilled workers that often go unfilled due to a shortage of qualified people.

In addition to the investment the undocumented student makes by completing grades K-12, the student's parents have also contributed to our society through the state and federal taxes that they must pay in order to live in the United States.

Shouldn't the children of these parents be entitled to the services that their parents' tax dollars help support? A denial of such services, in my view, amounts to a case of taxation without representation!

EMMA SCHUSSOLD

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