After finishing her first semester of college, Silvia Salguero is more dedicated than ever to her goal of earning a bachelor's degree.
"It's tough — tougher than I expected," Salguero said, plopping into a chair for a rest between classes during the second week of summer semester at the University of Utah. But after waiting two years for the opportunity to go to college, Salguero, 20, plans to stay in school until she graduates.
Salguero is Utah's poster child for HB144, passed during the 2002 legislative session. The bill gave the children of undocumented immigrants in-state tuition status, making higher education affordable for all of Utah's high school graduates.
"Thanks to this bill, now I have a chance to get a college education," Salguero said in March of 2002, sitting next to Gov. Mike Leavitt during a ceremonial signing of the bill.
Previously, undocumented immigrants were required to pay nonresident tuition, making a college education too expensive for most to pursue. Last year at the U. the difference was about $6,000 — $2,897 for residents and $8,828 for nonresidents.
"There was no way I could afford that," Salguero said.
Upon graduating from Park City High, Salguero's grades were good enough to get her a $5,000 scholarship and admission to any state college or university.
She enrolled at the U. and attended classes for two weeks before she was told she had to pay out-of-state tuition rates. Feeling deflated and discouraged, Salguero went back to her job as a full-time housekeeper.
Salguero was 13 when her parents left Mexico and entered the United States illegally. Guaranteed access to public education by federal law, she attended local schools and graduated from high school in 2000.
At that point she thought she had a crack at her goal of becoming a nurse.
"I was trying to accomplish my dreams. I was also trying to be a good example for my younger brothers and sisters," Salguero said.
Her story became the impetus for the legislation.
Park City High School teacher Gerry Maak persuaded Rep. David Ure, R-Kamas, that making higher education accessible for students like Salguero would make them more productive citizens. The bill had its share of opponents who claimed such legislation would encourage illegal immigration, but it passed easily anyway.
In order for the state law to take effect, federal legislation had to pass through Congress. Sen. Orrin Hatch and Rep. Chris Cannon, both R-Utah, introduced bills giving states the right to offer undocumented students in-state tuition rates. But the bills failed to pass before Congress ended.
An opinion last fall by the Utah Attorney General's Office said HB144 could be implemented before Congress approved such legislation. Utah became the third state, behind California and Texas, to grant nonresidents in-state tuition status.
Spokeswomen from Cannon and Hatch's offices said they plan to introduce similar legislation this year. Support for such laws has grown rapidly. Washington state, New York, Illinois and Oklahoma have since passed legislation similar to HB144. Oregon and nearly a dozen other states have considered bills that would do the same.
"This is a national trend," said Maak, who has become involved in the countrywide push for education equity through participation in the National Immigration Law Center.
Currently, only a handful of Utah students are taking advantage of the new law. Maak said she expects more students to enroll this fall.
"Even with cheaper tuition, there are still so many barriers these students must overcome to have a successful experience in college," Maak said. "The language barrier is the most obvious, but there dozens of other challenges. Higher education is something they and their families know little about."
U. President Bernie Machen said he is trying to work out a system to better support students like Salguero at the U. and acclimate them to the system.
"These are talented, smart young people who live in Utah and will get an education and rejoin the work force here in the community," Machen said.
Salguero said she's not sure when she will finish her schooling. She's taking three classes again this summer. Her job as a full-time housekeeper prevents her from taking a heavy class load, but she says she won't stop until she gets the degree.
Her grades? "They were all right," she said, hopeful this semester will be better. She earned a C in a linguistics class she struggled with but had higher marks in math and political science. The U. Alumni Association gave her a scholarship to pay for the two semesters, but she may be on her own in paying for her next semester, which will likely be spring 2004.
Salguero is five months pregnant. The baby is due in September, and Salguero will spend the time away from school with her son and his father.
The challenge of raising a child, working and going to school is something Salguero feels 100 percent confident she can handle.
"I'm getting that degree no matter what," she said.
She hopes her story will inspire more students in similar situations to go to college, specifically her little brothers and sisters, who now have an opportunity to do something she waited two years for.
E-MAIL: jparkinson@desnews.com