If any of you have not heard by now, in two recent Texas high school graduations, two well spoken, hard working teens announced in front of their classes that they have spent part of their lives as undocumented immigrants in the United States of America. This is my open letter to them:

Mayte Lara Ibarra and Larissa Martinez,

Let me begin by saying congratulations. As a fellow graduate of 2016, I share in your excitement of finally finishing high school and moving onto the next chapter in our lives. It’s invigorating! And even more praise should be put both of your ways for your accomplishments and accolades thus far. Mayte, not only are you valedictorian of your class with a 4.5 GPA (wow), but you also earned 13 cords and medals to adorn your cap and gown as well as a full tuition paid for at UT. Larissa, after taking 17 AP courses and earning a 4.95 GPA, I am to assume your stats are as impressive, if not more, seeing as though you are headed to Yale with many scholarships. This is amazing, and I don’t want anything I say to take away from both of your terrific and astounding feats. But, as both of you announced boldly to your classes, you are undocumented immigrants.

You are not in this country legally.

As a fellow graduate of 2016 (a hard working, dedicated, high-achieving graduate of 2016), I felt the need to express my frustration with this whole situation. I may not be my class’s valedictorian, but I am proud that my 3.9 GPA, eight cords and medals, high ACT/SAT scores and extracurricular activities have gotten me into the university of my dreams. Much like you, I have spent hours slaved over textbooks and scrolling online in hopes of finding videos to help me study. I’ve created thousands of flashcards and rewritten notes hundreds of times to follow my dream much like you. Sure, I won’t pretend to understand the struggles that you two have faced coming to our glorious nation or the hardships you two have been through hiding in a country who is deeply divided on the subject of illegal aliens.

But you are here, benefiting from millions of legal family’s hard earned taxes and following a path to a more successful future than many here legally will ever have a hope of attaining. Once again, I don’t want to strip you of your achievements, because they are great. But Marissa, in your speech you noted that “immigrants are people, too.” You want to stress that no matter where you are from or where you are now, that everyone should be treated equally. I agree. So is it fair that your lunches, your textbooks, your classrooms, your teachers, your placement tests, your Friday night football games, even the air conditioning in your Texas high school is being paid for by everyone except your families? Is it fair that you reap the benefits of millions of other people’s tireless work? Wouldn’t you agree that by not being documented and by not paying taxes and by utilizing the resources paid for by people other than your family, you are sending the message that you believe you are superior to others? I thought we agreed that people should be treated equally? That doesn’t seem equal. That seems like stealing, like theft. What is the difference between you stealing, as mentioned before, and someone else stealing a car from a dealership? In this situation, the dealer loses resources, money, investments and inventory. Is that any different than you stealing lunches or textbooks? I don’t think so.

You attack Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for the President of United States, by saying that people like you “yearn to help make America great again, without the construction of a wall built on hatred a prejudice.” Is it fair for you to call out a nominee that you cannot legally vote for? Is it fair for you to be discussing such topics, or any topic at all, in a country whose Constitution calls for freedom of speech, yet you are not legally allowed to abide in? Is it fair for you to judge others for having a prejudice towards people like you who, after six years of living here, still can’t apply for legal citizenship?

As a third generation American, I understand the importance of the U.S.’s “melting pot” culture. I am part German, part French and part Italian. I have seen the paperwork and pictures from when my grandparents and great-grandparents packed up what little they owned and made the trek over to America. Once here, they legally entered our nation, they assimilated as much as possible to our culture at the time, they learned our language, they paid their taxes, and they thrived here. If they could work hard and make a living for them and their families legally, why can’t you?

I would like to ask you two one more thing if we’re discussing the equality and fairness that we all strive to achieve. It was noted that the both of you have either near full or completely full rides to your respective colleges next year. I know, personally, I have applied to over 40 various scholarships, all of which ask about my citizenship. To receive the money I need and want to pay for my dream college, I am required to be legally a part of this wonderful country. And, I did not receive a single penny from any of these scholarships, further placing a large burden on my parents to pay for college while also paying for the 11 million other undocumented immigrants like you who thrive off of my parent’s taxes. So, did you lie on these forms? Are you further taking advantage of other people’s hard earned money to allow you to have a better future?

Because, at the end of the day, your being here illegally does not seem fair to me.

Thanks,

Kelly Carpenter