One Big Step at a Time

Switching Focus to Immediate Goal of $12,500 to start the doctoral program in the fall. Overall goal still $25,000 for both semester during first year. 

$25,000 is no small number, perhaps too large of a number to work toward is such a short amount of time. The fundraiser webpage and blog have been up for a little over a month. With the help of great friends and supporters the fundraiser had a great start and has been running very well. Now, it is important to acknowledge that goals have to be realistic and coherent in terms of the time window. To fund-raise $25k by August, which is when I start the doctoral program, might be too idealistic a goal, unless a miracle happens.

For this reason, I am splitting my fundraising goal. Let’s focus on the immediate goal of $12,50o which is the amount needed for school in the fall. Then we can focus on fundraising the other $12.5k before the start of the spring semester.

This new focus puts us at 28% from our new goal. We get closer everyday.

What do you think about this? Can you help me get to $12,500 by the start of the fall semester in mid August? 

Every donation counts, whether it is $10 or $1000. Let’s keep walking together!!

TO DONATE: http://www.gofundme.com/germansdream

Spread the word: Share this blog and http://www.gofundme.com/germansdream with your Facebook, twitter, and email contacts.

Harry Potter, Me, and You!

Potter fans, our magic hour is here! I have one ticket for the Harry Potter 7 Part 2 Special show on July 14th , at 6:30pm. This screening is before the movie even comes out!!

Event starts at 3pm, including games and an HP costume contest, oh yeah! I’m dressing it up.

This special show of the movie is part of a fundraiser for the National MS Society. I bought the ticket at a value of $20 and it was for my girlfriend. She can’t come because of her work schedule, so I decided to open up this special spot to my dear friends and supporters.

For us HP fans, this week marks the end of an era. Many of us grew up with Harry Potter, and this final installment has deep meaning for us nerds.

I am auctioning the ticket starting at $25. You can bid any amount, anything over $20 goes toward my education fundraiser for school in the fall.

So, let’s go to the movies and watch the epic finale!

Contact me directly for bids at germancadenas@gmail.com or (480)238-0749

Potter and I.. 

In 8th grade, my nickname was Harry because I would bring the HP books to school and read them during recess and lunch. That’s how into the Harry Potter books I was. I even believed in magic for a while.

In the last book of the Potter series, Harry and company are forced to hide in a house in the middle of the city for months. They do not leave those premises under any circumstances due to the fear of being caught by the Dark Lord’s army. Harry must stay focused on his mission and sustain long periods of isolation, take on challenges beyond his years, and arm himself with courage to face forces that appear invincible.

There are so many similarities to the “adventure” one embarks on as a DREAM Act student and Harry’s. Our Dark Lord is a broken immigration system, with forces that grow every day and spread everywhere, putting in jeopardy the future of our closest friends and family. Our Order of the Phoenix is a group of few advocates and fewer senators who stand up for what’s right and try their best to protect us. Many of us are forced into isolation in order to avoid risks. Many others choose, like Harry, to risk it all and face the unknown with nothing but courage and that magical resilience inside of us.

I may not be able to cast a Spectro Patronum at abusive law enforcers who, like Dementors , suck the happiness of many communities in Phoenix. I wish I could choose to fly on a broom instead of an airplane so that I wouldn’t be carefully inspected and questioned at the security checkpoints. And I would want to get in a wand duel with one lawmaker or two who, like Death Eaters, have caused chaos in my community. But I do believe in the magic of making things happen. Our imagination can sometimes be a window to the future, and our actions are the magical forces that make what we imagine come true. I imagined myself studying for a doctoral degree and eventually becoming a psychologist. Can I make magic happen? Not without your help!

http://www.gofundme.com/germansdream

En Hispana

Prensa Hispana, “Arizona’s #1 Hispanic Newspaper” published an article about my story that came out in Today’s edition.

The Piece is on section 2A of the paper!

You can read it at the links below

First page http://www.prensahispanaaz.com/paginas_PDF/pageA01.pdf

Article http://www.prensahispanaaz.com/paginas_PDF/pageA02.pdf

You can also access a word document version at this link

Prensa Hispana

Muchas gracias Prensa Hispana! I appreciate the support of mi gente in AZ!!!

American ?

Many thoughts circle my head during this 4th of July. I was called an American on national radio just last week and I can’t help but to ponder on the irony. This reminds me of the Pulitzer Prize winner Jose Antonio Vargas, who recently came out as undocumented, asking the world “how do you define American?”

Last year I went to celebrate 4th of July at the world’s oldest rodeo in Prescott, Arizona. I wore a cowboy hat, danced to country music, disguised myself as another American, watched the rodeo show, and stood up to sing the National Anthem. My chin up high, my right hand above my heart, my eyes fixed on the beautiful waving flag. Singing the Anthem gave me a thrilling sensation of colliding excitement, pride, inhibition, and shame. I felt like an American, I was proud to be there, but I wasn’t one by law. Instead, I lived in the shadows of fear and uncertainty that accompany you when you are undocumented.

About a year before that, I was disguised in another crowd singing the National Anthem, wearing a cap and gown instead of a cowboy hat as I graduated from Arizona State University. On the stage in front of me, President Barack Obama. Conflicting emotions overtaking me. Feeling the excitement and pride of being there, finishing my degrees, graduating in the best country of the world. I was ready to take on new challenges and give my best to the land of opportunity. My heart was filled with hope by Obama’s inspiring speech. Yet, I was also saddened and ashamed, because in truth I knew I would not have the same opportunities as most other graduates in that stadium. I was not an American by law, although I felt proud to sing the Anthem, proud to be in this great country, proud to listen to the President’s speech.

So, as Jose Antonio Vargas posed the question,”How do you define American?” – to me, an American is someone who is not afraid to take risks in order to follow dreams and seek a better life. To me, an American is someone who is just, fair, and enables others to reach the best of their potential. So, I ask my self: Am I an American?. Does my heart raise to a patriotic beat? Isn’t my home the land of the brave and the free? Have I taken risks? Don’t I want to complete my education in order to help and enable others, to make this an even better place to live?

I am oppressed by laws that prevent me from accepting my doctoral program’s offer to be fully funded my first year. Instead, I have to raise funds on my own. On This month of July I am inspired by the courage Americans have always displayed in order to chase their dreams and become free of oppression. I challenge myself to double the funds raised so far for school in the fall. As I celebrate Independence Day, I become free. Free of doubts and fears as I know achieving my dream of an education is possible, despite of my legal status. I become free because Americans don’t doubt.

Can you help me double my fundraising effort to chase my dream by making a donation here http://www.gofundme.com/germansdream and sharing this with others? 

Happy 4th of July to all, even those who are only American at heart! 

It’s In The Air: Listen to NPR 91.5 FM tomorrow at 6:35am and 8:35 am

In January of this year, I participated in the Storycorps project. I told my story as an immigrant student to my friend, young community organizer Pedro Lopez, while it was recorded.

Storycorps in a non-profit that records true stories of people from different backgrounds in America in order to share and preserve them throughout time. My story was archived in the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.

NPR is airing a segment of my story at 6:35am and 8:35 am, tomorrow Monday June 20th. Tune in to KJZZ 91.5 FM.

After it airs, you can listen to the segment again by clicking on my name and picture, which are positioned above the governor and her son, ironically.  http://kjzz.org/enewsletter/archives/eblasts/StoryCorpsArizonaStories_Jun_Aug2011

It’s is very exciting to be able to share my story in the air!!

You can make a donation of any amount to my education fund at http://www.gofundme.com/germansdream

Representing ALL Arizona Students

Tomorrow at 9 am, the leadership of the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA) from Arizona State University will share my story at the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) meeting in Flagstaff.

They will tell my story and share materials from this blog as an example of the many challenges that ALL Arizona students face, including DREAMers, in order to continue our education.

GPSA’s leadership is addressing the important issue of the difficulties for Arizona students to study at the universities due to tuition increases.

They hope that the story could have an impact on ABOR, which is the governing board of all the state universities, and would make them realize the implications of tuition increases and the burden on us students.

I feel honored to represent ALL Arizona students with my story in front of the regents who make decisions that impact our future. I know I am not the only one facing economic challenges, despite being a DREAMer. Thank you GPSA and good luck tomorrow!!

You can watch the live stream at 9am tomorrow (Thursday 6/16/11) at http://www.azregents.edu/aborlive/default.aspx

The First M Eyes

After exactly 3 weeks since I started the web page to raise funds for school this fall http://www.gofundme.com/germansdream there have been 1,000 (M) views on that page.

I’m not very knowledgeable about blogging and web traffic, but I think 1,000 views in 3 weeks is not bad for a small/personal fundraiser. All of those who have shared the site and this blog with their Facebook and E-mail contacts have played a key role in how many people have seen the site.

Please continue to share my site with everyone you know. The more people that see it, the higher chances of getting more donations.

I’m very happy with the positive reception my cause has had so far. I keep walking, every day I get a little bit closer. Thanks for walking with me!