Hello, my name is Gilda and I am a junior at San Francisco International High School.  I am from Guatemala.  I decided to come to the U.S to work and support my family three years ago.  I come from a working class family.  My family does not believe that education is important, therefore, I dropped out of school at grade 6.  I came to the U.S at 16 and started attending school for the first time after five years.  I am currently a straight A student.

Recently, I applied and was accepted to the ACLU summer program in Washington DC. I am excited about this opportunity because I will learn about civil rights issues and meet distinguished people who are continuing to create change in their communities.  Also, I want to let my voice be heard as a woman and immigrant who did not have the opportunity to study as a child because of my gender.  I want to be a role model to my younger brothers and sisters to let them know that despite many obstacles in our lives, we can still dream.

However, our family can not afford to pay the expenses for the entire trip by April 15th.  The expenses cover airfare, program cost, food, lodging.  This is an opportunity I have been working very hard towards.  If you could make any contribution, I would greatly appreciate your help.  This opportunity means a lot for me as well for my family.   Thank you for reading.