The Fantasy of Lights event at Vasona Lake County Park in Los Gatos features numerous displays with approximately half a million individual LED lights. Photo: Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department
There’s just under a month until the 25th annual Fantasy of Lights, a tour on Dec. 2 and 3 where attendees can enjoy the sights and lights while taking a leisurely stroll through Vasona Lake County Park in Los Gatos, Santa Clara County.
It is worth noting that tickets for this event always sell out within a few hours of publication for its two-day run.
The Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department spaces out the times that tickets are available to give people multiple opportunities to obtain entrance passes.
The first stage of the tickets sale was held on November 1, while the second is on November 5, in which there are still tickets available for the December 3 event.
It is worth noting that phase 3 of ticket sales will take place on November 10th starting at 6:00 p.m.
Fantasy of Lights is 1.5 miles long one-way, and you can walk part of the way or the entire show.
Please wrap up warm and wear comfortable and safe shoes to fully enjoy the tour. Please note that pets and bicycles are not allowed.
The event is taking place at Vasona Lake County Park, 333 Blossom Hill Road, Los Gatos. There is no parking for events inside the park, so it is recommended to take advantage of the Netflix parking lot, as well as the free shuttle service that will be available from 121 Albright Way.
Guests will be transported to the event entrance and back to the parking lot. Shuttle buses will operate throughout the event.
Upon arrival at Netflix, you will be asked to redeem your tickets to board the shuttles. For those entering, tickets can be redeemed at the main entrance of the park.
First introduced in 1999, Fantasy of Lights is now 25 years old and has become a beloved holiday tradition.
At this sparkling event, you can enjoy a magical evening in the warmth of your vehicle as you drive past large animated displays and listen to Christmas music on your car radio, or enjoy the warm glow of Christmas lights as you take a leisurely stroll through the park with family and friends.
Take in the sights and sounds of an erupting volcano in the dangerously fun Dinosaur Den, cheer on Santa as he shoots hoops, wave to a penguin penguin penguin corral, watch flaming pirate cannons and navigate through moving tunnels of lights.
There will be more than 50 themed exhibits and a 90-foot twinkling tree that will have you oohing and aahing throughout your adventure.
An Arab Muslim student at Stanford University was hit by a car, the driver speeding off while shouting, “Fuck you and your people.” Authorities said the student suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
On Friday, a Muslim Arab student at Stanford University was attacked by a pro-Israel student in what is believed to be a hate crime.
Shortly before 2 p.m., the Arab student was crossing the street near the student residences when he was hit by a car and the driver accelerated while shouting: “Fuck you and your people.”
Authorities reported that the student suffered non-life-threatening injuries and is currently still hospitalized.
According to the victim’s statements after the incident, the driver made eye contact with him before speeding off. “As soon as he hit me, as my body was spinning, the driver yelled, ‘Fuck you and your people,’ and sped off toward me,” the student said. Looking him in the eye, he identified the individual as someone who had begun filming pro-Palestinian activists on campus, a recently widespread tactic used to intimidate and mislead students.
The suspect is described as a white male in his 20s with short dark blond hair, round-framed glasses and a short beard. According to Stanford administration, the vehicle is “a black SUV with a rear-mounted tire.”
University police were alerted to the hit-and-run shortly afterward but did not issue a campus-wide alert informing students of the violent crime until 10:30 p.m. According to a press release, the Stanford administration only issued the “ill-considered, careless, and ill-advised statement” after public pressure from Muslim and Arab students, despite campus policy requiring community notification within two hours of violent incidents.
A statement from Stanford Students for Justice in Palestine demands that the university take immediate action.
“The university must deploy its resources to determine who the perpetrator was, support the survivor of this attack (and others) with specialized resources, care and all the resources they need when they ask for it, and issue a statement condemning the violent Islamophobic and hate crimes against Arabs in particular and with such language that have occurred on campus,” the students wrote.
“Today, Stanford University is complicit in the white supremacist violence that Arab and Muslim students have faced on campus. To the university administration, we say unequivocally: Shame on you. Your silence is enabling violent Islamophobic and anti-Arab hate crimes on our campus and the genocide of the Palestinian people.”
The hate crime comes after mounting criticism of the university's refusal to address an ongoing sit-in protest by student activists demanding the school denounce Israel's invasion of Gaza and provide additional support to Palestinian students.
Students have been camping out in Stanford’s White Plaza since October 20 and have no plans to stop. Among the demands is that the university offer counseling and academic housing for students affected by the genocide in Palestine, along with access to free legal aid for those who are harassed.
According to the Department of Public Safety, “Stanford continues to work to provide a safe campus environment in the context of heightened tensions related to events in Israel and Gaza. This includes additional security that has been deployed at key locations on campus.”
The California Highway Patrol is currently investigating the hit-and-run as a hate crime.
Anyone with information is asked to contact CHP at 650-779-2700 or Stanford Public Safety at 650-329-2413.
This publication was supported in whole or part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the CaliFornia State Library.
El siguiente texto, es la carta ganadora del concurso “Cartas de Amor a mis muertos” organizado por Casa Círculo Cultural como parte de la celebración del Día de Muertos, 2023.
Hello Blanquita,
They say that one tends to privilege the bad episodes over the good ones in thememoria familiar, nada más acertado, creo yo. Quisiera comenzar esta epístolapreguntándome ¿qué tanto han evolucionado mis recuerdos de infancia que tengosobre ti luego del proceso de aprendizaje y maduración a lo largo de tantos años? y esthat those childhood memories were already inevitably contaminated by theexperiences lived later.
Comienzo recordando que cuando era pequeño (de unos 8 o 9 años) me solíaangustiar tu posible ausencia y mi única solución, entonces, era aparentemente elsuicide.
En alguno de mis cuentos te presento físicamente como menuda, frágil pero que a mime parecías enorme, era cierto y así me lo pareció hasta el final. “Mi madre, mujer muy menuda, pálida, frágil y delgada, medía poco más del metro cincuenta pero a mi me parecía enorme” escribí.
Yo era un niño sumamente mimado, sobreprotegido y consentido, al que se le dejabado whatever he wanted, to whom nothing was ever denied and above all to whomfestejaba absolutamente todo, todo; y tú eras la que lideraba mi corte desobreprotectores y me permitías todo menos una cosa: que dejara de tomar misalimentos. Yo me mantenía incólume -hasta donde podía- ante tus duros ataques queseguida por el ejército de las empleadas domésticas no descansabas hasta lograrvigorizar aunque sea un poco mi escuálido cuerpo, utilizando diversas formas paraconvencerme de aceptar siquiera un pequeño bocado de comida. Improvisabas, hacíasmagic tricks (and horror), you threatened, you punished and I remember clearly whenuna vez utilizaste un látigo (el peruanisimo “San Martín” o chicote) que -horror dehorrores- más allá de la sensación de ráfagas de calor en mis piernas pudeexperience, for the first time, pain in the soul. I have tried to delete that episodepero hasta hoy me ha sido imposible, lo siento madre. Tú también, lo recuerdoClearly, you were trying to feed me with vitamins, nutritional reinforcements,pociones que “abrían el apetito”, recetas de médicos naturistas, herbolarios ychamanes. Hoy, tengo la sospecha que en tu rol de madre tenías como una de tuscolumnas fundacionales e irrenunciables el de la alimentación. Era tal tu vehemenciapor hacerme comer que podías llegar a límites insospechados.
Creo que de ti heredé tu gesto solidario, recuerdo que solías traer niños pobres(Ramiro y su hermanito Alo eran los más frecuentes) de un barrio paupérrimo cercanoal mercado de abastos para que jugaran conmigo y me hagan compañía y ellos felicesto be able to have fun with my toys but above all they were excited about the moment ofalmuerzo donde los veía engullir los alimentos que yo despreciaba. “Mira, seguro a ti tefalta ser pobre para que tengas ganas de comer”, asegurabas, te voy a mandar a vivirwith them you threatened me.
Me solías hablar de tu propia infancia cargada de escasez y abandono, con un padreabsent and with a hard-working, abused and servile mother. I remember that you remembereddel esfuerzo y sacrificio de tu madre pero también de su ignorancia que eraaprovechada por el machismo de mi abuelo. Me contabas de tus paseos a la “Playa deBarranco” cuando eras todavía una niña, te llevaba la abuela junto a tus ochohermanitos y que a pesar de eso llevaban todavía a más niños pobres del vecindario,que tomaban el tranvía cargando una olla con tallarines rojos para el almuerzo y alcontarlo parecías feliz, y si, ahora que lo pienso, contarlo te hacía muy feliz.Recuerdo que vestías como una reina, no por lo extravagante sino más bien por tutalento innato de “tener gusto” aunque tu gusto no solo era para vestirte sino tambiénto decorate our house, taste in general to develop yourself in all aspectsof social life.
I remember you wearing your Scottish flannel jackets that matched perfectlywith your skirt pleated with a large safety pin at the side, calfskin shoes madeon hand with a medium-sized purse of the same material hanging from your left shoulder.Es verdad que tu tez pálida te otorgó muchas ventajas que a otros que provenían delmismo nivel social les eran prohibidas, de niño yo percibía ese privilegio pero lo atribuíasólo a tu condición de ser mi madre.
Another thing you passionately focused on was curing me ofangustiosa enfermedad del asma, te vi recorrer infructuosamente un sin fin de médicos,tratar diferentes medicinas y no pocos tratamientos lo que desembocó finalmente en miinfeliz viaje a un pueblo del interior jugándote tu última carta. Trataste de todo paraextirpar aquella enfermedad que me aquejó desde una tierna edad pero no lograstemucho, como tampoco lograste mucho conmigo en ningún aspecto, lo admito.Hubo muchas tardes de cine, vámonos a “la matiné” me decías (término utilizado paradesignar a la función de tarde) y después un lonchecito y después a jironear, mevestías y me peinabas y mirándome con ternura: qué guapo estás! Yo creo que te creíacuando decias eso. Otra veces un heladito de Lúcuma y luego a sentarnos a ver elsunset, we almost always finished our ice cream in sync as the sun setponía, allí solías hacerme preguntas tipo: ¿por qué Dios permite la pobreza? O ¿Cuáles el propósito del sufrimiento? Yo entonces era muy chico para poderte contestarte.I'm not going to touch some of the bad memories I have, I prefer to think notwere so bad if not that they became exaggerated and distorted over the years.años. Increíblemente el mejor recuerdo que tengo de ti es la sublime sensación deaquel momento en el cual entrabas a mi cuarto en las mañanas, yo acostado en micama y tú creyéndome dormido me cubrías con la frazada hasta los hombros…Always in my thoughts,
Demonstration of teenagers in the city of Ramallah, West Bank, outraged by the massacre carried out by the Israeli army in Gaza. Image from the Video shared by journalist Témoris Grecko on Facebook On November 3.
Hundreds of Jews, families and peace activists will hold a mass rally at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday under the slogan “No to the genocide gala” against the 75th anniversary ceremony of the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), which raises funds for the genocide in Gaza.
At the Hiller Aviation Museum (601 Skyway Road, San Carlos), children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors, anti-Zionist Jews, allies of Jewish Voice for Peace, the Palestinian Youth Movement and other groups will call out those who support a military that is committing war crimes and genocide in Gaza and the West Bank.
This is an action led by Jews, Palestinians, Arabs and other allies, to say “Never again for anyone”: no to genocide galas, no to funding for war criminals, ceasefire now.
At the rally, several children of Holocaust survivors will speak out against the genocide in Gaza.
Since the escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip began on October 7, the Israeli air force has dropped more than 18,000 tons of artillery on Gaza in the past four weeks, which is 1.5 times more explosives than those dropped on Hiroshima.
Israeli bombardment has destroyed schools, mosques, hospitals and homes, killing more than 9,000 Palestinians, including hundreds in the Jabaliya refugee camp this week. More than 40 percent of the dead in Gaza are children.
At the same time, the IDF is arming and protecting settlers in the West Bank, whose violence against Palestinians is at its highest in recent years, and Israeli forces have killed more than 115 people in the West Bank in these past four weeks.
The Friends of the IDF gala - whose entrance fee is $500 - raises funds directly to continue this war that seeks the total destruction of Gaza and whose leaders have drawn up plans to evacuate the entire population of the enclave, so that Israel can annex it.
Casa Círculo Cultural, in collaboration with the San Mateo County History Museum and the Redwood City Library, celebrates the “Day of the Dead” by approaching the cultures of Mexico and Central America through unique and folkloric traditions. Photo: Casa Círculo Cultural.
Food, music, flowers, and kites will be the perfect setting for Redwood City to come to life this Sunday, November 5, when residents and visitors will be able to celebrate the “Day of the Dead” by getting closer to the cultures of Mexico and Central America through unique traditions full of folklore.
Casa Circulo Cultural, in collaboration with the San Mateo County History Museum and the Redwood City Library, have called on everyone to celebrate this incredible celebration starting at 1:30 p.m. at Redwood City's Courthouse Square, located at 2200 Broadway.
This year, Mayan culture will be the common thread for the celebration, which will allow us to immerse ourselves in how death and the return of loved ones are conceived and celebrated in places with Mayan traditions, such as in southeastern Mexico and parts of Guatemala.
In Guatemala, a significant portion of the population is made up of mestizos, a dynamic fusion of Spanish and Mayan heritage.
A notable tradition that stems from their Mayan ancestry is the eerie practice of flying kites during the Day of the Dead festivities.
The essence of this tradition is to make and fly giant colorful kites over the cemeteries of Guatemala, a moving and vibrant way to honor and connect with ancestors, loved ones, and friends who have traveled beyond this realm.
Join this incredible annual celebration, the welcoming speech and procession will begin at 6:00 p.m. with honored guests. But, you can come as early as 3:30 p.m. to see the majestic ceremonial altars created by community members inside the San Mateo County History Museum.
These altars are part of a temporary exhibition that will be on display from this Sunday, November 5th until November 11th.
The exhibition includes a special altar, where tribute is paid to the victims of hate crimes in the country.
Among other activities, face painting, free children's activities, food court and live entertainment throughout the night.
There will be vendors selling traditional Day of the Dead food such as hot chocolate, pan de muerto, tamales and more!
On November 5th, starting at 2:00 a.m., all smart devices will be automatically updated at 1:00 a.m., while analog devices will have to be changed manually.
Daylight saving time ends on November 5th, and California will set its clocks back one hour before going to sleep this Saturday. Starting at 2:00 a.m. this Sunday, the West Coast will wake up under standard time.
Starting at 2:00 a.m. on November 5, all smart devices will be automatically updated at 1:00 a.m., while analog devices will have to be changed manually.
Daylight saving time changes are implemented to make the most of sunlight and reduce energy consumption.
Thus, in the summer months, when there is more sunlight, you can set the clock forward and take advantage of its benefits. However, in winter it is necessary to return to “standard time” in order to have the greatest amount of sunlight in the mornings.
Currently, the U.S. maintains a system in which clocks are changed twice a year, in March, when “daylight saving time” begins, and in November, when it returns to “standard time.”
Many people welcome the change to standard time, as it will allow them to sleep an extra hour.
The current March-November system in the United States began in 2007, although on March 15, 2022, the United States Senate unanimously passed the Sunshine Protection Act of 2023, with the goal of maintaining daylight saving time year-round.
The bill must be approved by the House of Representatives and promulgated by the president, a situation that has not yet occurred.
It is worth noting that Hawaii and most of Arizona are among the states where this change does not apply, since they have their own enactment.
Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam and American Samoa, meanwhile, argued that they had also refrained from changing their time zones for commercial and geographic reasons.
Five firearms, including an AR-15 rifle with a 60-round magazine, drugs packaged for sale and $4,000 in cash were seized in the arrest of three East Palo Alto teenagers following a shooting, East Palo Alto police said Friday.
Five firearms, including an AR-15 rifle with a 60-round magazine, drugs packaged for sale and $4,000 in cash were seized in the arrest of three teenagers in East Palo Alto following a shooting, East Palo Alto police said Friday.
The teens, two 15-year-olds and one 16-year-old, were arrested Thursday when their homes were searched, police said.
Images of the three were captured on surveillance video in connection with a shooting on Oct. 13 in the 2300 block of Cooley Avenue, police said. No one was injured in the shooting.
The drugs included more than 22 ounces of cocaine, MDMA pills and marijuana, police said.
Anyone with relevant information is asked to contact the East Palo Alto Police Department via anonymous text message at epa@tipnow.org or (650) 409-6792. An anonymous voice message can be left at (650) 409-6792.
La industria artística en el condado de Santa Clara así como la industria cultural sin fines de lucro, generó 384.5 millones de dólares en actividad económica en 2022, de los cuales, 292 millones fueron aportados por la ciudad de San José, según el estudio recientemente publicado Arts & Economic Prosperity 6.
La industria artística y cultural sin fines de lucro del condado de Santa Clara generó 384.5 millones de dólares en actividad económica en 2022, de los cuales, 292 millones fueron aportados por la ciudad de San José, según el estudio recientemente publicado Arts & Economic Prosperity 6.
El estudio de impacto económico y social fue realizado por Americans for the Arts en asociación con OEDCA y SV CREATES, quienes discutieron los hallazgos durante el Almuerzo de Liderazgo para las Artes y la Prosperidad Económica este viernes en la Rotonda del Ayuntamiento de San José.
La Oficina de Desarrollo Económico y Asuntos Culturales (OEDCA) de la ciudad de San José detalló que, el estudio reveló que la industria artística y cultural sin fines de lucro de San José genera 192 millones de dólares en gastos relacionados con eventos por parte de sus audiencias.
Asimismo, detalló que el asistente típico gasta 43.88 dólares por persona por evento en San José, sin incluir el costo de la entrada.
De igual manera, los resultados del estudio informaron que 23.7 por ciento de los asistentes a las artes y la cultura procedían de fuera del condado de Santa Clara, quienes gastaron un promedio de 65.69 dólares, ingreso vital para las empresas locales; mientras que 86.4 por ciento de los encuestados de San José coincidieron en que la actividad o lugar al que asistían era “un motivo de orgullo vecinal para la comunidad”.
El 85.2 por ciento dijo que “sentirían una sensación de pérdida si esa actividad o lugar ya no estuviera disponible”.
“San José está experimentando un resurgimiento significativo de las artes y otras actividades culturales: el tráfico peatonal en el centro está aumentando y nuestros teatros y programas al aire libre se están recuperando constantemente a niveles de asistencia previos a la pandemia”, dijo el alcalde de San José, Matt Mahan.
“El estudio AEP6 nos ayuda a comprender el impacto económico de la industria artística y cultural sin fines de lucro, que el año pasado generó la impresionante cifra de $292 millones en actividad económica en San José”, agregó.
La administradora de San José, Jennifer Maguire, refirió que “San José es una de las grandes ciudades más diversas del país y nuestro sector artístico y cultural es una gran parte de lo que hace que esta ciudad sea tan única”.
“El informe muestra que nuestros residentes comprenden y valoran las artes y la cultura de esta ciudad y que los visitantes también lo hacen”, subrayó.
Para Kerry Adams Hapner, directora de Asuntos Culturales de la Ciudad de San José, AEP6 no sólo demuestra el valor económico de las artes, sino también su valor comunitario y social.
“Los residentes de San José dijeron abrumadoramente que las artes y sus lugares son una fuente de orgullo comunitario, que ayudan a construir comunidades más habitables y vibrantes”, dijo.
AEP6 abrió nuevos caminos con este estudio al priorizar la equidad, la participación comunitaria y la inclusión.
Con el objetivo de reducir el sesgo sistémico, Americans for the Arts transformó su enfoque y amplió la inclusión y participación de organizaciones que sirven o representan a BIPOC (afrodescendientes, indígenas, personas de color) y ALAANA (africanos, latinos, asiáticos, árabes, nativos americanos). identificando comunidades.
“Históricamente, los estudios sobre arte y prosperidad económica han subrepresentado y subreconocido a las organizaciones artísticas y culturales que sirven o representan a todas nuestras comunidades”, dijo Alexandra Urbanowski, subdirectora de SV CREATES.
“Debido a la rica y vital diversidad cultural del condado de Santa Clara y la profundidad de nuestras comunidades artísticas BIPOC y ALAANA, nos complace que AEP6 cree nuevas narrativas que representen mejor nuestro ecosistema artístico local”.
A nivel nacional, el estudio AEP6 revela que el sector artístico y cultural sin fines de lucro de Estados Unidos es una industria de 151 mil 700 millones de dólares, que sustenta 2.6 millones de puestos de trabajo y genera 29 mil 100 millones de dólares en ingresos gubernamentales.
The Board of Supervisors is seeking bold, innovative ideas to execute Measure K funding to provide services to residents in three priority areas: children, families and seniors; emergency preparedness; and housing and homelessness.
San Mateo County announced Friday the release of Measure K funding opportunities to serve residents with innovative ideas in three priority areas: children, families and seniors; emergency preparedness; and housing and homelessness.
The county anticipates that approximately $35 million will be available.
“The Board of Supervisors is looking for bold, innovative ideas,” said County Executive Mike Callagy. “This is not business as usual. This is a great opportunity to make a real difference, drive equity and improve lives here in San Mateo County.”
Applicants may be non-profit organizations, private companies, or joint ventures of any size, however individual projects are not eligible to apply.
The announcement is a continuation of a process that began months ago to listen to residents about the needs of their community, with applicants expected to tailor proposals to address those needs in priority areas.
Some examples include providing additional transportation options for seniors and people with disabilities, developing linguistically and culturally diverse child care centers and home-based options, providing emergency housing assistance, and developing specific community plans to address natural hazards such as fires, earthquakes, and floods.
The funds will come from Measure K, a voter-approved, countywide half-cent sales tax that provides local funding for local needs.
Information about the process and future public meetings will be posted on the County website.
Potential applicants are directed to the county's procurement portal, where they must register to obtain more details about this funding opportunity.
Between 50,000 and 70,000 undocumented immigrants are currently enrolled in a California community college, which highlights the importance of having reliable legal services to seek to change their immigration status in the United States.
Thousands of Californian “dreamers” face legal limbo as the battle continues to protect this group of the population that remains undocumented and does not live a “via crucis” in their immigration process in the U.S., so the support of an “ally” is highly necessary for undocumented students.
Given this, the legal support program Find Your Ally (findyourally.com) offers free immigration legal services and case support to students, staff, and faculty on California community college campuses in person or virtually.
“More than 10,000 students have benefited from the program” since it was launched nearly four years ago, said Alonso Garcia, senior equity program manager for the California Community Colleges Foundation, during a briefing held by Ethnic Media Services.
García said that last year alone, more than 5,700 young people benefited.
Find Your Ally—offered through the Higher Education Legal Services Project—is an unprecedented state-funded effort to provide all students enrolled in California Community Colleges and their families with free immigration legal assistance, including the opportunity to have their DACA fees covered.
Students qualify either full-time or part-time, taking credit or non-credit courses, dual enrollment, and adult education courses.
Garcia said Californians who need reliable legal help can find it free of charge at any of the state's 115 brick-and-mortar community colleges.
The attorney's time, he said, is free and continues regardless of when the community college affiliation ends; services include support for legal permanent residency (green cards), and DACA Temporary Protected Status (TPS), among other services.
And, starting this November, it offers assistance with naturalization procedures and advance parole.
Between 50,000 and 70,000 undocumented immigrants are currently enrolled in a California community college, which highlights the importance of having reliable legal services to seek to change their immigration status in the United States.
Likewise, García assured that all the information provided remains private, since the legal teams, previously approved by California or the U.S. Department of Justice and with at least three years of experience in immigration work, work confidentially.
“I would encourage people to enroll in their local community college to get at least one credit so they can access services like ours and hopefully find a way forward,” said Manoj Govindaiah, an attorney with Oakland-based Immigrant Legal Defense.
The specialist explained that undocumented people generally face two major obstacles when it comes to accessing legal services: finding quality lawyers and being able to meet with them in person, which is why he highlighted the importance of this program.
“This program goes into schools…bringing support where it is needed,” Govindaiah said, noting that Find Your Ally also offers up-to-date legal advice, helping those who did not know they were eligible find pathways to change their immigration status.
For Kelly Fletes, dean of student services at Monterey Peninsula College, California's community colleges serve as gateways to higher education, accepting all who apply.
In that regard, she noted that community colleges are ideal for reaching out to newly arrived immigrants, many of whom often enroll in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes shortly after arriving.
“There’s a different level of anxiety that happens when you literally have to look out for yourself or watch your back because you or your parents could be deported or at risk of not coming home every day,” she said. “How could you possibly focus on your education?”
Added to this is the financial burden, as the cost of legal services is beyond the means of many students who, in most cases, work at the same time.
“I have students who have to work three to four jobs,” Fletes said, explaining that some of them already have significant debts for legal services that have not yet been completed.
Sabrina P, a beneficiary of the program, is well aware of the situation thousands have experienced, as she is a first-generation college student with undocumented status.
She, like many others, did not know if she could qualify for a change of immigration status, a worrying situation, since when they leave these community colleges they do not know if they will be able to work in what they invested so much time in.
“Every case is different… (but) now I can say that I am in the process of obtaining my green card. I can work and do other things that I was previously denied because I didn’t have any kind of papers. I can support my family a little better,” he said happily.
He reminded that anyone who wants to obtain this aid must do so immediately, since the process is long and the date on the original application influences the decision.
“I would suggest just not being afraid. Honestly, that’s the best thing you can do for yourself, because just asking won’t hurt anyone and maybe it will help you.”
