Frazee, Gretchen. "What Constitutional Rights Do Undocumented Immigrants Have?" PBS. June 25, 2018. Accessed January 25, 2019. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/what-constitutional-rights-do-undocumented-immigrants-have.

This source is listing out what rights any undocumented immigrant has in this country, even though they might have not been born here. Some of the examples that I might include are, “Right to due process,” “The right to legal counsel,” “The right to be with your family,” and “The right to education.” I want to list these rights out because a lot of people live in fear and when they are placed in certain situations they aren’t aware that there are still rights that pertain to them. I want to show these communities that they can have the same opportunities as others.

"How Immigrants Are Getting Health Coverage." Healthinsurance.org. December 08, 2018. Accessed January 25, 2019. https://www.healthinsurance.org/obamacare/how-immigrants-are-getting-health-coverage/.

This source is going to be used to show how you don’t have to be a citizen in order to obtain health care access like those natural born citizens. This source lists key points, how the cost and what you can cover are changed based on your situations. This source also talks about how many of the people living here are uninsured, which is important to include as an important statistic. I want to use this to show how they are verified and their status. I think it’s important that people understand that they are getting health insurance and even though they are paying, without having a social security number, they are still doing it through a legal way.

"Low Cost Dental Clinic | Low Cost Dental Clinic." Penn Dental Medicine. March 23, 2018. Accessed January 25, 2019. https://www.penndentalmedicine.org/low-cost-dental-clinic/.

I am going to be including this source because I want to recommend this location. Personally, my parents have been going here for a while and they have told me that the fees that this dental clinic charges are not expensive. They have told me that they think it’s a very professional place and that everyone there is very kind and that it’s very cheap, considering that they don’t have any insurance.

Nolo. "Is An Immigration Lawyer Worth The Cost?" AllLaw.com. March 24, 2016. Accessed January 25, 2019. https://www.alllaw.com/articles/nolo/us-immigration/lawyer-worth-cost.html.

This source is very important to include because it talks about the different types of cases that may pertain to the cost for having to want a lawyer. I want to include this source because it’s talking about how, even though they may seem expensive, some of them are very helpful, especially in the case of undocumented people being detained. My main importance is that I want to focus on the Hispanic community, especially the undocumented, since it’s something that I can relate to because of family members. There’s a section on here that directly talks about how these lawyers work in order to determine if there’s a legitimate reason for their stay.

"Nonprofit-Health-Wellness-Latino Immigrant-Philadelphia." Puentes De Salud. Accessed January 24, 2019. http://www.puentesdesalud.org/

The reason why I chose to use this source is because in order to create my handbook, I need to include clinics where people without health insurance are accepted. I was recommended this place by my mother because a lot of people that she knows have been to this place and they don’t charge as much. This place is mainly for the Hispanic community, since the volunteers are trained to speak Spanish. The clinics main purpose is to challenge “embedded social inequalities and injustices.” From what I’ve heard, a lot of people say that everyone here is very kind and they don’t discriminate.

"Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Immigration Legal Aid & Pro Bono Services." Justia. Accessed January 25, 2019. https://www.justia.com/lawyers/immigration-law/pennsylvania/philadelphia/legal-aid-and-pro-bono-services.

This is a website that I’m going to include possibly in my handbook. There are locations that are on here and I plan on going to show up to each of these locations. I want to possibly hand them hypothetical situations and see how much they would charge someone who is undocumented. I want to use this source to include places that might be willing to reduce costs for these people. I also want to understand why it is that these practices are willing to help others, especially the less fortunate. I want to understand the different costs and then compare them in the end.

"Sliding Scale Fees." Wikipedia. August 21, 2018. Accessed January 25, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sliding_scale_fees.

When I was reading the majority of the articles were listing how in order to figure out how much the people that are undocumented should be charged, they base it off of a sliding fee scale. I was confused when reading what it is and how it is based on income because I don’t understand how this whole system works.

"U.S. Citizen Children Impacted by Immigration Enforcement." American Immigration Council. November 27, 2018. Accessed January 25, 2019. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/us-citizen-children-impacted-immigration-enforcement.

What people don’t realize is that the reason why I’m focusing on this capstone is because I want to inform people that if they don’t know their rights, then they might be deported. Therefore, I want to educate people of the negative outcomes/results if families were deported. This source talks about statistics that I can include on my potential website, about how many children have been left without a family member. This source is talking about previous studies have been conducted and their results that have occured. I want to use this source to provide as many current examples so that people can understand why this is important to support these communities.

"What Legal Rights Do Undocumented Immigrants Have? (With Lesson Plan)." KQED. March 29, 2017. Accessed January 25, 2019. https://www.kqed.org/lowdown/26358/what-legal-rights-do-undocumented-immigrants-have-with-lesson-plan.

This includes a video that I wasn’t sure how to cite but I also wanted to include the writing in it because it lists more rights that these undocumented people have. I think that this source is important to include because it will list out what people need to know when placed in this situation so that they can speak up for themselves.

"Why We Need Social Security." Princeton University. Accessed January 25, 2019. https://www.princeton.edu/~starr/articles/articles05/Starr-SocSec-2-05.htm.

The reason why I chose to use this source is because I want to know some background information in order to understand why it is that some clinics don’t accept people who don’t have any social security. I don’t understand why it is that some clinics enforce it very harshly, understanding that some people, for example those who are undocumented, don’t have the ability to apply for this. This source mainly talks about the background of how this system came to be and was created. This source is talking about the pros in having the social security, so I can include this to show how people see this as such a positive but there are those that don’t have the opportunity to get one.

Introduction

My goal for this paper was to try and teach some people about the reasons behind some refusals to vaccinate. I'm really proud that I included sources that explained more about what my topic was about. Areas for improvement are that I could've elaborated more on the idea of value systems and their impacts. Another area for improvement could be that I should expand more on analyzing the quotes. Overall, I'm proud about my topic because not many people think of the reasoning behind this choice.

Advanced Essay

According to the Collins Dictionary, “the value system of a group of people is the set of beliefs and attitudes that they all share.” Refusing to get vaccines is something that some parents choose to follow for their children’s health. Nowadays, many parents are choosing to delay how often their kids get their vaccines and some also choose to just not get them. According to the U.S National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, “These reasons vary widely between parents, but they can be encompassed in 4 overarching categories. The 4 categories are religious reasons, personal beliefs or philosophical reasons, safety concerns, and a desire for more information from healthcare providers.” (McKee, Chephra, and Kristin Bohannon. “Exploring the Reasons Behind Parental Refusal of Vaccines.” The Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics : JPPT 21.2 (2016): 104–109. PMC. Web. 8 Mar. 2018.) Personally, I believe that everyone should get vaccinated because I know that it would most likely prevent people from receiving certain diseases.

I think that people don’t realize that not getting vaccines is dangerous because if they’re in the same area as vaccinated kids and the kids with vaccines have something like whooping cough, the non-vaccinated kids can catch it. People could be spreading viruses onto kids that don’t have their vaccines. I think it’s important that parents should be educated enough to know what their choices could lead to. Parents should get enough information to know what would happen if their child got sick and didn’t have their vaccines. I think that children should have some say when parents are hesitant about issues that concern their public health. I believe that some value systems that have been set in place should be removed because in a way they “punish” those who have different beliefs.

I understand that it wouldn’t be ideal if some kids got to choose whether or not they wanted them because there are kids that would refuse it because it “hurts.” I’ve seen a poster at a pediatric office I intern at and it says something like, “If there were a vaccine against cancer,  wouldn’t you give it to your child?...” Most parents wouldn’t even think twice about giving their child a vaccine to prevent something like cancer, so why not for other diseases? This value system that has been set up doesn’t take into consideration that children may die if they get a disease that they aren’t protected from. What does it have to take in order for a parent to ignore their values and actually do what’s best for their child’s health? For example, there’s a story about the death of a boy named Colin Durkin. I think that the personal story of the family who lost a child is an important source because they speak about how maybe if they’d gotten the chance to give their child a vaccine, it’s possible he wouldn’t have died. In the story, the parents explain, “We never had the chance to immunize Colin as he was still too young, but an ounce of prevention could go a long way in saving your child's life…” (Durkin, Pamela and Kevin)

In situations like this, it’s difficult to receive a vaccine because the child is so young. However, this family realized that if they could’ve done something, in order to prevent this death, they would’ve done it. This is an example of how refusing to give your child a vaccine could result in something devastation, sometimes even fatal. Sometimes there aren’t “in your face” symptoms, which is why it’s important to receive a vaccine because it could detect what your eyes couldn’t.

Personally, those who don’t get it because of “religious reasons” should have to give proof that is a legit reason for the exemption. I understand the thinking behind those who do it because they’re concerned about the health of their children. “Religious reasons tend to account for the majority of total vaccine refusal, while parents with personal beliefs against immunization tend to be more willing to compromise and at least partially vaccinate their children. Parents are concerned with doing the best for their children, and hearing reports of potential safety issues or that childhood diseases are not a large threat can hinder them from vaccinating their children.” (McKee, Chephra, and Kristin Bohannon, 104-109) This quote really speaks about how most parents could be influenced in vaccinating their child if they’re told about what major illnesses it could prevent. My mom has chosen to not give us the flu vaccines because everytime that we used to get them, we would get extreme fevers and even more sick. I understand that some parents don’t want to risk their children’s health even more because of the symptoms that may occur afterwards. I think that society needs to get rid of these systems set up with specific beliefs because it doesn’t allow for those who oppose those ideas to speak their minds.

Bibliography

McKee, Chephra, and Kristin Bohannon. “Exploring the Reasons Behind Parental Refusal of Vaccines.” The Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics : JPPT 21.2 (2016): 104–109. PMC. Web. 8 Mar. 2018. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4869767/

“Infant and Child Vaccines - Personal Testimonies - The Death of Colin, Pamela and Kevin Durkin's Infant Son.” Accessed March 8, 2018. www.vaccineinformation.org/infants-children/testimonies/whooping-cough/colin-durkin.asp.

Introduction:

My goal for this essay is to have others who read it understand me and how it is that I was able to learn how to speak the same language that they do. I’m extremely proud of my first paragraph because it’s the part that describes how I felt when I was 5 years old. I’m proud that my language barrier was demolished and that this allowed me to connect it to literacy. In the future, I plan to go to lit lab in order to have it better peer reviewed.  

The Language Obstacle

It’s difficult to understand and try to learn a new language when you’re accustomed to something else and were taught it growing up. It’s also difficult when at home your family only knows 1 language, so they only speak to you in that tongue. Since they only speak 1 language, they can’t help you with your homework because they themselves don’t know what the paper says. They’re going at the same pace as you because they have to learn it with you because they have to apply it to their daily lives in order for them to be able to communicate as well. The only people you can rely on are your teachers and any additional outside resources, when all of your other classmates can rely on their family members. Once something is taught in class, your classmates can go home and just ask their parents for help because they’ve already learned this. Meanwhile, you go home to be just as confused as your parents, having to go bother your neighbors for help.

This was was I had to go through when I was in Pre-K, about 12 years ago. I was born in California, and there I attended school where people spoke. Once we came here to Philadelphia, school was very different because everyone spoke English. My parents enrolled me into a Catholic School, and when I started school, I had no clue as to what the teachers were saying. Everything they said to me sounded gibberish, I was getting lost in whatever the teachers assigned for homework because I didn’t understand them they taught it in class.

I remember what a typical day after school looked like for me. At 2:50, the bell would ring, announcing to the students that the school day was over and everyone was allowed to go home. I would walk outside, waiting to see my mom’s round face, smiling at me, taking me by the hand and telling me that we would be going to the library. All of my friends would say,

“I can’t wait to go home and watch tv,”

“I can’t wait to go home and play video games!”

Meanwhile, in my mind I would say, “I can’t wait to go to the library,” in a sarcastic tone. My mom and I would walk down to the library, from about 3 to 6:30, staying there just to ask others there for help. I would feel so shy and kind of embarrassed because I felt stupid for not knowing English. I would pick out graphic novels, just because they mainly consisted of pictures, so I could easily follow along with the words. After we got our help, or sometimes didn’t, when the homework helpers weren’t there, we’d go home and ask our neighbor for help. My mom would go knock on her door and with her broken English ask,

“Can you help my daughter?”

Our neighbor would smile and always tried her best to explain it to me and my mom because my dad was often absent because he was always working long hours. At the end it all paid off because I graduated being the only one that knew how to read. At the end a lot of the parents and teachers came up to me to say that they were really proud of me because they’d known how much I’d struggled. All of my hard work and efforts finally paid off, from this, I was able to teach my younger siblings English and when they came to me for help, I was able to help them because in a way, it was my way to giving back to those who helped me.

I would practice the English I was taught, just so that I could prove that I wasn’t the typical Mexican who knew very little English. There’s always been this expectation that in order for someone to succeed here in the U.S they have to know how to speak English, which I believe was a main reason for why my mom was so hard on me when I was little. “‘I want you to speak English. Pa’ hallar buen trabajo tienes que saber hablar el ingles bien. Que vale toda tu educación si todavía hablas ingles con un ‘accent.’’ my mother would say, mortified that I spoke English like a Mexican.” Gloria Anzaldúa writes about how there’s always been something set on us, that if we speak with an accent, then people will judge us and not want to give us a job.

Sometimes I feel insecure with my English because I feel that people will think that since I’m Mexican, it justifies why I can’t speak it well. There’s this expectation that I have for myself which is that I can’t mess up when speaking English because I don’t want to show that “weakness” that I ever had a struggle of understanding/learning English. As Amy Tan says, “Fortunately, I happen to be rebellious in nature and enjoy the challenge of disproving assumptions made about me.” I believe that my parents influenced me in a way that I was forced to learn this language, they set me up to succeed, because they knew how hard it was for them as adults.

Works Cited:

Anzaldúa, Gloria. Borderlands = La Frontera. San Francisco: Aunt Lute, 1999. Print.

Tan, Amy. "Mother Tongue." Dreams and Inward Journeys: A Rhetoric and Reader for Writers, edited by Marjorie Ford and Jon Ford, 7th ed., Pearson, 2010, pp. 34-44.

Introduction

My goal for this paper is to share my story with others, so that they can understand why I am a certain way. I want people to know, how it is that I started speaking the same language as everyone else. A part that I am proud of is where I explain how it was going out to try to get help from others and how I felt. Something that needs improvement is that I should add more details and be more descriptive. Also, I should try to reflect more and try to connect it with my larger idea.

Never let anything get in your way

Daily, we go around, pressured by obstacles thrown into our path in order to make us give up and quit. My parents are both Mexican, so they grew up learning spanish, and weren’t taught english in their schools. They decided to come to the US in order to provide a better life for themselves and for their future family. As I grew up, the language I was taught was spanish, so it was difficult for me to communicate with others. Eventually, I started going to Pre-Kindergarten, but it was a difficult time for me because I couldn’t understand the teachers or my classmates, so I wasn’t learning anything. There were many times when I would cry, because when it came to recess, I would be playing by myself because I had no friends because of the language barrier. I would sit near the tall princess' castle, picturing myself as the princess living in a magical land filled with happiness and everyone getting along. When it came to homework, I didn’t understand what was on the paper, and neither did my parents, so we would have to go out and ask others like our neighbors for help.

At the time, I used to be super embarrassed, because I hated having to go to the same people over and over and ask them for help. At times, I felt dumb because I was the only one having trouble in class. However, thanks to my mom always pushing me, and to my pre-k teacher, little by little, I started learning more and more English. One day, the teacher announced that we would be having an end-of-year celebration, where we would present a play to our parents and other students. The teacher said, “Everyone, we’re going to be having a safari themed play. 1 person is going to be the guide and everyone else is going to be some animal.” I was beyond excited to learn that I had been chosen to narrate the story and be guide. I practiced everyday, and finally, the day of the play arrived. I read every part carefully and at the end, everyone got up and applauded me. When it was done, many parents and other teachers came up to me and congratulated me for my wonderful reading.

If it weren’t for my determination and the extreme support from my parents, I probably would’ve never gotten this chance to be the reader. Thanks to them and to the resources presented to me, I was able to learn English, and then move on and help my parents with it. Ever since those days, I’ve learned to give back to those that were just like me, using my english to help others out. For example, I would be the one to help my siblings with their homework because my parents didn’t understand. I’ve also been an interpreter to my parents when it comes to appointments or meetings, I help translate. I’ve also helped some of my parents friends with translating things and helping them understand.

I’m thankful that my parents decided to learn english, because it’s helpful now, so that my family members aren’t only relying on me for help. From these experiences, it’s shaped who I am as a person, I’ve become independent because I’ve basically had myself as my “teacher” and I don’t often ask for help because of how often I did when I was younger. Sometimes we take the safe road on many things, instead of wanting to take risks. It’s probably because we are scared of what those risks might lead to, we are scared of failing. As I’ve grown up, I’ve had many decisions to make where I knew that taking a risk, stepping up, and not giving up would help me accomplish things. I thank God for giving me the strength to never give up, He had a reason for my struggles and a gift for my faithfulness. As Confucius says, “Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.”

The Bechdel Test is a test used to indicate the presence of women in films and to point out gender-inequality. The Bechdel Test consists of three important rules:

1. There needs to be at least 2 women in it

2. The women have to be talking to each other

3. The topic being talked about can’t be about a man.

I think that the Bechdel Test is put in place because it’s trying to bring attention to the fact that many women aren’t given the bigger part, and when they are featured, it’s mainly them talking about their feelings towards a man. As a female, I think it’s unfair to be watching a movie and the only woman is talking about a guy she likes, because this makes me think of the gender-stereotypes that women only gossip, and women are always falling in love. What’s so wrong with a woman playing the hero and the man being the one to fall in love with her?

The Mako Mori test is a test used to depict when women play the leading role, or at least have a very important role, with their own backstory. The Mako Mori consists of three rules:

1. There needs to be at least 1 female character

2. The female character needs to get their own narrative arc/backstory

3. The backstory can’t be about a man’s story