{"id":17781,"date":"2013-08-11T13:55:47","date_gmt":"2013-08-11T17:55:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=17781"},"modified":"2014-07-29T15:32:38","modified_gmt":"2014-07-29T19:32:38","slug":"outstanding-young-alum-castillo-campaigns-for-immigration-reform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2013\/outstanding-young-alum-castillo-campaigns-for-immigration-reform\/","title":{"rendered":"Outstanding Young Alum: Castillo Campaigns for Immigration Reform"},"content":{"rendered":"

Still in her 20s, Isabel Castillo \u201907<\/strong> is already a nationally recognized leader of the immigration-law reform movement in the United States. She was the commencement speaker at the University of San Francisco, was called one of \u201cthe 21 brave thinkers of 2011\u201d by Atlantic<\/em> magazine<\/a>, and was featured prominently in the <\/a>New York Times<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Risking deportation to her native Mexico, Castillo is publicly campaigning for sweeping changes in the way the U.S. deals with its 11 million undocumented residents. She is especially promoting a bill in the U.S. Congress \u2013 the DREAM Act<\/a> \u2013 that would help people like herself who were brought to America as children by undocumented parents. DREAM stands for Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors.<\/p>\n

When she spoke at the University of San Francisco in 2011, Castillo received an honorary doctorate \u201cfor unwavering advocacy for the passage for the DREAM Act.\u201d She was the youngest EMU graduate ever to win an honorary doctorate.<\/p>\n

A standout student at Turner Ashby High School in Bridgewater, Va., Castillo faced bleak prospects for college and employment when she graduated. Many colleges do not admit undocumented students and most employers will not hire someone like her. She does not have a Social Security number.<\/p>\n

EMU admitted Castillo, but she struggled to pay her way, since undocumented students do not qualify for the usual loans and scholarships. However she managed to graduate in 3\u00bd years with the highest academic honors, earning a degree in social work.<\/p>\n

Now she travels widely to speak and campaign while working as a server in a family restaurant in Harrisonburg. After speaking with Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia recently, he told Castillo\u2019s story on the floor of the U.S. Senate during debate on an immigration bill.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery day about 1,000 undocumented immigrants get deported from the U.S.,\u201d she says. \u201cDeportations should end while Congress tries to pass immigration reform.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t worked with any other young alum who has accomplished as much as Isabel in such a short period of time,\u201d says Jen Litwiller \u201994<\/a>, EMU\u2019s director of career services. \u201cShe has the odds stacked against her and yet she continues to persist and successfully advocate for her cause.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Still in her 20s, Isabel Castillo \u201907 is already a nationally recognized leader of the immigration-law reform movement in the United States. She was the commencement speaker at the University ... read more about Outstanding Young Alum: Castillo Campaigns for Immigration Reform<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":17821,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[266,60],"tags":[12196,12246,11460],"feature":[],"class_list":["post-17781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-homecoming","tag-dream-act","tag-isabel-castillo","tag-jennifer-litwiller"],"yoast_head":"\nOutstanding Young Alum: Castillo Campaigns for Immigration Reform - EMU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2013\/outstanding-young-alum-castillo-campaigns-for-immigration-reform\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Outstanding Young Alum: Castillo Campaigns for Immigration Reform - EMU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Still in her 20s, Isabel Castillo \u201907 is already a nationally recognized leader of the immigration-law reform movement in the United States. 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