weirdre
04-03-2006, 08:43 PM
I guess I should introduce myself.
I am not an immigrant (at least not within the time frame we usually mean.) I think my great-grandparents were the ones who came over from Norway and other Western European parts way back when. But that's besides the point.
I first became aware of the DREAM Act because I fell in love with (and am now married to!) an incredibly bright, talented (and of course good looking!) Mexican immigrant whose parents brought him and his 3 siblings over when he was but 9 years old. They came over on a visa and tried to go through the normal channels towards getting residency status. However, the lawyer screwed them out of all their money, and the immigration laws changed to much stricter ones.
My husband and I have filed for adjustment of his status (and we're *waiting*). His parents are still waiting for their application to be processed. But it's really his youngest brother that I am most worried about. He is also a very bright, talented kid, but since he graduated from high school and all his buddies went off to college without him, he's been mired down in a depression. He studies on his own and tries to make the best of it, but I can see him grow more bitter each day because what's the point, right? Even if he could go to college, what could he do then?
I'm in my first year of med school and already there has been such an emphasis on the importance of addressing disparities in health care...how the medical/healthcare profession is in DIRE need of culturally competent, bilingual health care professionals to address the needs of our growing, diverse population. If more doctors were culturally competent, were able to speak Spanish and other languages, that would cut down on healthcare costs because illnesses would be found and treated earlier. Illnesses treated earlier usually equates to less cost of treatment. (Also, if there were universal health insurance, costs would be diminished too but that's another story.)
And I can't help but think that there is this incredible pool of talented, bilingual, bicultural individuals who want to be and would make geat doctors/health care professionals--but who are unjustly kept out because of 'immigration status'. (I'm not saying ALL want to, but given the sheer numbers, there's got to be a lot!)
Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now.
I'm so glad this site is up. Good job!
I am not an immigrant (at least not within the time frame we usually mean.) I think my great-grandparents were the ones who came over from Norway and other Western European parts way back when. But that's besides the point.
I first became aware of the DREAM Act because I fell in love with (and am now married to!) an incredibly bright, talented (and of course good looking!) Mexican immigrant whose parents brought him and his 3 siblings over when he was but 9 years old. They came over on a visa and tried to go through the normal channels towards getting residency status. However, the lawyer screwed them out of all their money, and the immigration laws changed to much stricter ones.
My husband and I have filed for adjustment of his status (and we're *waiting*). His parents are still waiting for their application to be processed. But it's really his youngest brother that I am most worried about. He is also a very bright, talented kid, but since he graduated from high school and all his buddies went off to college without him, he's been mired down in a depression. He studies on his own and tries to make the best of it, but I can see him grow more bitter each day because what's the point, right? Even if he could go to college, what could he do then?
I'm in my first year of med school and already there has been such an emphasis on the importance of addressing disparities in health care...how the medical/healthcare profession is in DIRE need of culturally competent, bilingual health care professionals to address the needs of our growing, diverse population. If more doctors were culturally competent, were able to speak Spanish and other languages, that would cut down on healthcare costs because illnesses would be found and treated earlier. Illnesses treated earlier usually equates to less cost of treatment. (Also, if there were universal health insurance, costs would be diminished too but that's another story.)
And I can't help but think that there is this incredible pool of talented, bilingual, bicultural individuals who want to be and would make geat doctors/health care professionals--but who are unjustly kept out because of 'immigration status'. (I'm not saying ALL want to, but given the sheer numbers, there's got to be a lot!)
Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now.
I'm so glad this site is up. Good job!