As the
daughter of non-English-speaking immigrant parents, Silvia Bustos witnessed
her parents endure discrimination and racial bias. The language barrier
prevented them from excelling. Born and raised in southeast
Dallas as the oldest of six siblings, Silvia became the first in her family
to graduate high school. She attended college at the Univ. of Texas at
Arlington. She's now working on her Master's Degree from Southern Methodist
University. Silvia's life is a prime example of
how education can open doors to better future. With her parents'
help, Silvia has changed her family's future.
Silvia works at a pro
bono legal clinic. This project handles consumer
disputes, provides community education and assists with a variety of
pre-litigation remedies, including self-help and mediation.
She's
passionate about
educating the Hispanic community,
especially young adults, about their legal and civil rights. She's also very
concerned about
the future of young immigrants who have grown up in our country. If their
parents are undocumented or in
immigration limbo, these youth often have no mechanism to obtain legal
residency. Even if they
have graduated
from high school in the U.S., many of these youth are prevented from
attending college. Silvia hopes that Congress will pass the DREAM Act
that will allow
these immigrant youth to pursue education here. Through her
activism with the Make the DREAM Come True (aka DREAM Team), she
is able to lobby and raise awareness for this change.
Silvia is a huge fan
of the Dallas
Mavericks, Dallas Cowboys, and the KU Jayhawks! She also enjoys
reading and dancing. She welcomes mail at silviab06 at msn dot com.
We're so pleased that Silvia has joined our group blog. You can
browse through and read entries from Silvia's
complete historical blog archives
here.
By Silvia Bustos on August 7, 2008
Our healthcare system has disappointed me once again. Not only are the health insurance providers deciding whether or not we should receive certain medical treatments, now healthcare service providers are deciding when we will receive it. I am disgusted by our healthcare service providers. About two weeks ago I waited and waited for my sister to get medical treatment in the ER at one of our biggest area hospitals. Anyone want to guess how long we waited to get a bed or any medical treatment?
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By Silvia Bustos on June 13, 2008
In The Cheating Culture by David Callahan I found the following interesting: "available evidence suggests that Americans are not only cheating more in many areas but are also feeling less guilty about it.
When 'everybody does it,' or imagines that everybody does it, a cheating culture has emerged."
So at what point did "cheating" become acceptable? How many of us know someone who tends to "take the easy way out?"
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By Silvia Bustos on May 16, 2008
"We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand."
- Randy Pausch
How have you handled the cards that you've been dealt?
My DREAMERS aka D.R.E.A.M Act activists have not only been hopeful, they've also been active. But how does a group continue to fight for the right to "DREAM", when groups and people filled with hate and animosity want to see you in shackles, torn apart from your family before the sun comes up, and have LIFE as you know it riped away.
How do you fight for the right to D.R.E.A.M. without being punished?
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By Silvia Bustos on May 5, 2008
The beginning......
Its taken me a few weeks to decide on what my first blog should be about. I've felt excited, nervous, and cautious as I've tried to come up with "The blog" that would represent ME!!
I've been unsuccessful in coming up with a topic or situation that I would want as my first blog EVER!!
But I have come to the conclusion that my blog will not be governed by ONE topic/subject. Instead I will blog about LIFE and all I come across in it. My blogs will be about politics, the law, advocacy groups, immigration, employment, and just anything and everything I think you should be aware about.
Enough said....
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