Everyone has a dream. Seemingly large or small, realistic or unrealistic, every single person with breath in his or her lungs has a dream.
To go to space, to run a 5k, to write a novel, to fly a plane, to own a home, to be a CEO, to make above minimum wage, to get married, to have kids, to be happy.
Everyone has a dream.
Sagar Patagundi’s dream is to walk at his college graduation.
Sagar is an Indian immigrant, brought to the U.S. by his family when he was only eleven years old. By 2006, Sagar’s father was barred from returning to the U.S. after his work permit was rejected three times. Six years later, in 2011, Sagar and his brothers watched as their mother returned to India to care for their father.
Pictured: Sagar Patagundi
Sagar graduated high school with an impressive 3.8 GPA, but was ineligible for any college scholarships or financial aid because he is not a citizen. After raising $12,000 he began his college career at Eastern Kentucky University, where he continued to work night shifts to pay the bills. When the Dream ACT failed to pass Congress in 2010, Sagar relocated to Louisville, Kentucky in hopes of better opportunities in a bigger city. The Dream ACT would have “granted a reprieve from deportation to unauthorized immigrants who are under the age of 31; entered the United States before age 16; have lived continuously in the country for at least five years; have not been convicted of a felony, a “significant” misdemeanor, or three other misdemeanors; and are currently in school, graduated from high school, earned a GED, or served in the military.” (http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/issues/DREAM-Act)
In 2011, he enrolled at the University of Louisville and co-founded F.I.R.E. (Fighting for Immigrant Rights & Equality). Things started looking up for Sagar the next year, 2012, when undocumented youths received temporary aid through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. This allowed for Sagar to begin work at UPS. UPS is a popular employment option for many University of Louisville students as they pay for full time student tuition plus hourly pay. Employed students work night shifts Monday through Friday for approximately 20-25 hours a week. It’s not an easy job to say the least, but it pays for school.
After two semesters of work, Sagar was informed that UPS would not be paying his tuition. Why? If you’ll remember, Sagar is not eligible for financial aid (FAFSA) because he is not a citizen. Without qualifying for FAFSA, UPS will not pay tuition for student employees. Unfortunately, no one told Sagar that until he was one semester shy of graduation.
Now, Sagar is 9 weeks away from graduation. 9 weeks away from making his dream come true. But with each passing day that dream is slipping further and further away. With UPS withholding student worker tuition payments, Sagar owes the University of Louisville $15,000. If he cannot find a way to pay this money, his account with UofL will be frozen and his degree withheld.
Please help.
Sagar has created a fundraising page, which you can visit here: http://www.gofundme.com/e6jqy8. As a college student myself, I am completely broke. I live month to month on my minimum wage paycheck. But, I pledge to make a $5 donation to Sagar’s dream. As author Max Lucado said, “No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.”
I urge you to do something.
This isn’t about your personal stance on legal or illegal immigrants in the United States, it’s about doing something to make one young man’s dream come true. After all, we are all citizens of the world. And we all have a dream.
Taylor Talk 