Tereza Lee, the original Dreamer

Senator Durbin’s vigil

TEREZA LEE is the original DREAMer. Now in her mid-thirties, she is also a perfect illustration of why people brought to the country illegally when they were minors ought to become American citizens. A largely self-taught pianist (her family could not afford heating or hot water, let alone a piano teacher), her talent was discovered by teachers at Chicago’s Merit School of Music. At 16 she performed Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. When her teacher pushed her to apply for college, she had to come clean about being in the country illegally. They turned to Illinois’s senior senator, Dick Durbin, for help. After finding out that Ms Lee would probably be deported, the senator agreed to write a bill just for her. It passed Congress without a problem. Other youngsters came forward to ask Mr Durbin for help, often hiding in the car park in front of his office until he left work. The senator teamed up with Utah’s...Continue reading

Source: United States http://ift.tt/2FzIYBY

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