[h=1]Texas high school valedictorian bound for Yale on a full scholarship reveals she is an illegal immigrant in her graduation speech[/h]
PUBLISHED: 15:35, 9 June 2016 | UPDATED: 20:43, 9 June 2016
A Texas high school valedictorian has revealed she is an illegal immigrant in her graduation speech.
Larissa Martinez told classmates at McKinney Boyd High School that she was one of the 11million undocumented citizens living in the United States after she fled her abusive and alcoholic father in Mexico.
The 18-year-old, who has been offered a full scholarship to Yale, said she decided against giving her classmates the 'traditional Hallmark version' of the speech and instead opted for the truth.
The teenager told the crowd of thousands: 'Immigrants, undocumented or otherwise, are people too'.
'We are here without documentation because the US immigration system is broken and forces many families to live in fear.'
She also used the speech to slam Donald Trump's plans to build a wall based on 'hate and prejudice'.
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- Larissa Martinez revealed the truth to classmates at McKinney Boyd High
- Described how she fled Mexico and her abusive father at age 11
- Since then she's been waiting for her citizenship application to go through
- She decided against giving the 'traditional Hallmark version' of the speech
- 'Immigrants, undocumented or otherwise, are people too,' she said
- The teenager also slammed Donald Trump for his plans to build a wall
- Comes a day after another student revealed she was an illegal on Twitter
PUBLISHED: 15:35, 9 June 2016 | UPDATED: 20:43, 9 June 2016
A Texas high school valedictorian has revealed she is an illegal immigrant in her graduation speech.
Larissa Martinez told classmates at McKinney Boyd High School that she was one of the 11million undocumented citizens living in the United States after she fled her abusive and alcoholic father in Mexico.
The 18-year-old, who has been offered a full scholarship to Yale, said she decided against giving her classmates the 'traditional Hallmark version' of the speech and instead opted for the truth.
The teenager told the crowd of thousands: 'Immigrants, undocumented or otherwise, are people too'.
'We are here without documentation because the US immigration system is broken and forces many families to live in fear.'
She also used the speech to slam Donald Trump's plans to build a wall based on 'hate and prejudice'.
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Martinez paid tribute to her friends and her mother during the emotional speech, adding that it had taken her years to drum up the courage to reveal her background.
She explained how she had flown
When people see me up here... they seem to think I've got my life figured out. At the age of 11, I was nothing but the girl with an abusive and alcoholic father
'While mothers move mountains for their children, you literally moved countries for my sister and me,' she said.
'I'd like to offer you a different kid of speech. One that offers expectations versus reality.
'Many of you see me standing up here and assume my life must be pretty great and my parents must be very proud.
'Nevertheless its important to note that these are only the half truths. Those are the expectations
'My reality is quite different. On July 11 it will be exactly six years since I moved to McKinney from Mexico City where I was born and raised.
'When people see me up here... they seem to think I've got my life figured out. At the age of 11, I was nothing but the girl with an abusive and alcoholic father.
'A girl whose only dream was to become an American and who thought moving countries would solve all of the problems in her life.
'Oftentimes my intelligence was questioned because of my background.
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Larissa Martinez, the valedictorian of McKinney Boyd High School in Texas, revealed to classmates that she is an illegal immigrant during her graduation speech
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She explained how she had flown
When people see me up here... they seem to think I've got my life figured out. At the age of 11, I was nothing but the girl with an abusive and alcoholic father
'While mothers move mountains for their children, you literally moved countries for my sister and me,' she said.
'I'd like to offer you a different kid of speech. One that offers expectations versus reality.
'Many of you see me standing up here and assume my life must be pretty great and my parents must be very proud.
'Nevertheless its important to note that these are only the half truths. Those are the expectations
'My reality is quite different. On July 11 it will be exactly six years since I moved to McKinney from Mexico City where I was born and raised.
'When people see me up here... they seem to think I've got my life figured out. At the age of 11, I was nothing but the girl with an abusive and alcoholic father.
'A girl whose only dream was to become an American and who thought moving countries would solve all of the problems in her life.
'Oftentimes my intelligence was questioned because of my background.
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Larissa Martinez, the valedictorian of McKinney Boyd High School in Texas, revealed to classmates that she is an illegal immigrant during her graduation speech
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The 18-year-old, who has been offered a full scholarship to Yale, told classmates she had fled her abusive and alcoholic father in Mexico at age 11. Ever since arriving in the United States with her mother an sister, they have been waiting for their citizenship application to be processed
'School became my savior.'
She added that also had to sacrifice some of her childhood to look after her sister, while her mother worked from morning until late at night.
The teenager also revealed that she lives in a one bedroom apartment in Texas and is forced to share a bed with her mother and sister.
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Martinez held a 4.95 GPA and took 17 AP classes over her high school career
But she saw school as an escape, and now has a shot at escaping poverty and helping her family.
'Despite not having the internet, a washing machine, or even my own bed, I always have knowledge at my fingertips.
'I feel like I owe it to all of you to be honest and I owe it to myself.
Martinez held a 4.95 GPA and took 17 AP classes over her high school career.
She was given a standing ovation my her peers at the end of the emotional speech, which she performed a day after another high school graduate revealed on Twitter that she was also undocumented.
Mayte Lara, from Crockett High School in Austin, Texas, tweeted: 'Valedictorian, 4.5GPA, full tuition paid for at UT, 13 cords and medals, nice legs, oh and I'm undocumented.'
Ms Lara's tweet soon went viral, with more and more people getting more and more angry about an illegal immigrant from Mexico getting a free scholarship to the University of Texas.
Cuervo Jones tweeted: 'I did it legally, nobody should get a short cut.'
Sean DuVall wrote: 'Not exactly "living in the shadows" is she? We're a nation of laws. I abide by them and so should she.'
Dave S seemed to suggest that her appearance may have been partly responsible for her good fortune: 'put a white male in exact same situation: he has to take out $100k in student loans. It wasn't the GPA, honey.'
Ms Lara soon began to realise she had made a major error.
'I want all this attention from strangers to stop already,' she tweeted at one point.
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'I AM NOT HERE TO GIVE YOU THE VALEDICTORIAN SPEECH, I AM HERE TO GIVE YOU THE TRUTH': LARISSA'S SPEECH IN FULL
'Good afternoon. My name is Larissa Martinez and I am delighted to be standing here as the valedictorian of the class of 2016.
'In all, it's been a great year so far. As we are graduating today, the leader of the free world, Beyonce, dropped a new album Lemonade, and the greatest entertainer in our generation is leaving the White House.
'First and foremost, I would like to thank all of the parents and family members who are always there to make sure we would make it all the way to today.
'I would also like to thank all of the faculty and staff at McKinney Boyd because this school wouldn't be the same without them.
'Now I know some of you may be prepared to call me out, like Damian from Mean Girls, but I assure you that I do in fact go here.
'Even though two fifths of you don't know of my existence. To each and every single one of you I saw thank you.
'You taught me that it's OK to be different and to overlook those differences, and accept you for being yourself.
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Martinez's classmates listened intently, many wearing their future schools on their mortar boards as she gave her speech
'You also taught me that it is OK to push people to the side while rushing to class.
'I would also like to give special thanks to the people that have changed my life in one way or another and have stuck with my for the last few years.
'I know I am not always the easiest person to deal, so thank you for being there when I needed you the most.
'I would also like to thank my sister Andrew for giving me one more reason to keep going when it all seemed pointless.
'Finally the person I am most thankful for is my mother.
'You've been there with me through thick and thin. You are my best friend.
'While most mothers move move mountains for their children, you literally moved countries.
'Every sacrifice you have made, you have made for us.
'You are my number one fan and you never lost faith in me, even when I lost faith in myself.
'For that and many other things I will be eternally grateful.
'Let me be frank. I am not going to stand up here and give you the Hallmark version of the valedictorian speech.
'Instead I would like to offer you a different kind of speech. One that discusses expectations versus reality.
'Many of you see may see me standing up here and must think "Her life is pretty great. Her parents must be very proud."'
I decided to stand before you today, and reveal these unexpected realities because this might be the only chance I get to convey the truth to all of you, that undocumented immigrants are people too
'Those are only half truths. They are the expectations.
'My reality is slightly different. On July 11 it will be exactly six years since I moved to McKinney from Mexico City, where I was born and raised.
'When people see me standing up here, they see a girl who is Yale-bound and has her life figured out.
'But that is far from the whole truth. So now I would like to convey my fair share of realities.
'Reality number one: At the age of 11 I was nothing more than a girl with an abusive and alcoholic father who had to depend on her mother's strength.
'I was a girl with a dream that one day I would become an American and a girl that thought moving countries would solve all of the problems in her life.
'Unexpected reality number two: At the age of 12 I was faced with the task of having to adapt and embrace a new culture.
'Often my intelligence was questioned due to my background.
'I was also faced with giving up part of my childhood so I could look after my little sister Andrea while my mom worked from morning until late at night.
'School became my safe haven because, despite not having internet, a washing machine, or even my own bed.
'I always had knowledge at my fingertips thanks to my school.
'And I realized that my be the only way I could help my family.
'Although we do not all share the same struggles or the same obstacles throughout life, we do share some of the sentiments.
'I know what it is like to be put down, to have your achievements put down, to not be acknowledged to be powerless.
'So at this time I would like to commend each and every single one of you here for preserving through your own challenges and being the resilient human beings you wanted to be.
'And from not letting any obstacles getting in the way of you today.
'We all have struggles. Struggles we want to face behind closed doors because others discovered them, it would be at our must vulnerable state and we would never be looked at the same way.
'Well, after all of these years, I have finally mustered up the courage to stand before and share a struggle I have to deal with each and every day.
There will always be people that judge us, and set expectations based on their preconceived ideas of who they think we are and who they think we should be
'Unexpected reality number three: I am one of the 11million undocumented immigrants living in the shadow of the United States.
'I decided to stand before you today, and reveal these unexpected realities because this might be the only chance I get to convey the truth to all of you, that undocumented immigrants are people too.
'I was hesitant to speak about this today, because of the great divide in opinions concerning the topic of immigration in America.
'But I feel like I owe it to you to be honest, and I owe it to myself.
'The most important part of the debate, and the part most overlooked, is the fact that immigrants, undocumented or otherwise, are people too.
'People with dreams, aspirations, hopes and loved ones.
'People like me. People who have become a part of the American society and way of life and who yearn to help make America great again - without the construction of a wall based on hatred and prejudice.
'We are here without official documentation, because the US immigration system is broken.
'And it has forced many families to live in fear. I myself have even been waiting seven years for my application to be processed.
'So I hope that all of you leave here today knowing that we are trying to do it the right way, but we don't know how.
'I ask for all of you to try and look beyond the way the media portrays us and the dehumanizing accusations some politicians have made.
'I ask for you to please keep your hearts open and try to find the love and understanding that makes us human.
'Because after all we are people, just like you.
'While I can't predict the future, and tell you how successful you are all going to be.
'But by sharing my story today, I hope I can convince all of you that if I can break every stereotype based on what I am classified as - Mexican, female, undocumented - so can you.
'We do not have to let expectations become our reality.
'I am no expert in this journey we call life. But I am living proof that beating the system is possible.
'We do not have to conform to the limitations that others put on us.
'There will always be people that judge us, and set expectations based on their preconceived ideas of who they think we are and who they think we should be.
'However we have the ability to prove them wrong.
'In those moments when you need a reason to continue moving forward, close your eyes and picture yourself in the future setting.
'They told me I couldn't so I did.
'Thank you.'
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Martinez (pictured second left after being named valedictorian) said she decided against giving her classmates the 'traditional Hallmark version' of the speech and instead opted for the truth
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She also used the speech to slam Donald Trump's plans to build a wall based on 'hate and prejudice'
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Mayte's controversial tweet prompted an angry backlash on social media
[h=3]UNDOCUMENTED STUDENTS AND THE LAW[/h]Federal law does not prohibit states from providing in-state tuition to undocumented students. Currently, at least 17 states, including Texas, have passed legislation allowing undocumented graduates of state high schools to pay in-state tuition for colleges and universities.
To qualify in Texas, a student must: Graduate from a public or private high school, or receive a GED, in Texas; Reside in Texas for at least the 3 years leading up to high school graduation or receiving a GED; Reside in Texas for the 12 consecutive months right before the semester the student is enrolling in college; and Provide the institution an affidavit stating that they will file an application to become a U.S. permanent resident as soon as they are eligible to do so.
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[h=3]UNDOCUMENTED STUDENTS AND THE LAW: WHAT NOW FOR MAYTE?[/h]Federal law does not prohibit states from providing in-state tuition to undocumented students. Currently, at least 17 states, including Texas, have passed legislation allowing undocumented graduates of state high schools to pay in-state tuition for colleges and universities.
To qualify in Texas, a student must: Graduate from a public or private high school, or receive a GED, in Texas; Reside in Texas for at least the 3 years leading up to high school graduation or receiving a GED; Reside in Texas for the 12 consecutive months right before the semester the student is enrolling in college; and Provide the institution an affidavit stating that they will file an application to become a U.S. permanent resident as soon as they are eligible to do so.
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To qualify in Texas, a student must: Graduate from a public or private high school, or receive a GED, in Texas; Reside in Texas for at least the 3 years leading up to high school graduation or receiving a GED; Reside in Texas for the 12 consecutive months right before the semester the student is enrolling in college; and Provide the institution an affidavit stating that they will file an application to become a U.S. permanent resident as soon as they are eligible to do so.
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"She highlighted the obstacles she had overcome by lying. She offended all who come into the United States legally. She mouthed off about her status. Now she should have to pay for being in the United States as a criminal. Sorry, girl. You should have kept your mouth shut. Now good-bye America, Hello Mexico.
So go home and fix Mexico.
It is not about taxes, it's about cutting in line when others go through the immigration process for years to live here legally.
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She may be book smart but she is completely illiterate at reading the American people.
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So go home and fix Mexico.
It is not about taxes, it's about cutting in line when others go through the immigration process for years to live here legally.
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She may be book smart but she is completely illiterate at reading the American people.
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And just think... she is taking away a scholarship from someone who did everything right, and is here legally, and now has to find a scholarship elsewhere or pay for it themselves and go into debt. Sad how broken our system is.
Lie and become a criminal and you get rewarded... but do things the correct way, you dont get rewarded, instead you have to take a back seat to those who break the law.
Lie and become a criminal and you get rewarded... but do things the correct way, you dont get rewarded, instead you have to take a back seat to those who break the law.
Yale has a large enough trust that they can offer enough financial aid to to pay for every accepted student. There are 8% who do take out loans but that is to cover expenses other than tuition, fees, et cetera.
http://admissions.yale.edu/financial-aid-prospective-students
what is this supposed to mean? are you really suggesting everybody gets a free ride to Yale?
I know they have an incredibly large endowment fund, it's been in the news on a few occasions for various reasons. I also know students who have paid, and I don't know anybody that's received a free ride.
Having said that, I know Yale and most American Universities offer needs based scholarships, that's not my point at all. My point is that under the guise of diversity, it's easier and more likely to be accepted at Yale if you're not white unless you're a legacy.
