Beating long odds

Thursday, Aug. 7, 2008 | 2:04 a.m.

Lost in the debate surrounding the migration of Mexicans to this country are the stories of human triumph over long odds, especially when they involve innocent children who entered the United States illegally because their parents brought them here.

It is particularly gratifying that such stories are possible here in Southern Nevada.

Las Vegas Sun reporter Charlotte Hsu presented a terrific example Sunday in a story about the educational successes of sisters Maria Elizabeth Parra-Hernandez, who became a citizen July 25, and Maria Luisa Parra-Sandoval, who was naturalized in 2006. The sisters came to this country with their mother as little girls who knew no English and grew up to earn college degrees from UNLV in May.

Parra-Hernandez, 25, now serves as a juvenile services assistant for Clark County, helping youthful offenders meet the terms of their probation. Her 23-year-old sister is preparing for law school.

A lot of credit goes to support services such as Educational Talent Search, a college preparation program for students that teaches study skills and offers tips on how to obtain financial aid. The sisters also benefited from Nevada’s Millennium Scholarship, which provided each with $10,000 for college after they qualified with good grades in high school.

But Parra-Hernandez and Parra-Sandoval could not have succeeded without plenty of hard work and the smarts to take advantage of every opportunity that came their way. They clearly possess the talent and drive necessary to succeed.

Too often children of illegal immigrants are written off as individuals who simply should be sent back across the border. That would have been a tragic error in the case of these sisters and a poor reflection on our society.

As a nation of immigrants we should do whatever it takes to ensure that children who are brought here illegally through no fault of their own can still achieve the American dream. We can’t think of many better examples of this than Maria Elizabeth Parra-Hernandez and Maria Luisa Parra-Sandoval.