A Second Chance

 Although I have only been to Canal Alliance once, I can connect two stories to my experience.
The first story I connected with was the narrative of Lorena. I related my experience to the experience with Lorena because of her aspiration to succeed in school and develop a career for herself despite her major setback of being an illegal immigrant. "I was lucky that I started college before Governor Gray Davis got booted out. He was the one who signed the law allowing undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition" (page 190). The main reason Lorena was in school was to give back to those who did extremely hard labor in order for her to survive. "I've always reminded myself that the only reason why I'm in school and I have a good job is because my parents did backbreaking labor so I could go to school. I've always felt like I need to give back to those people like my parents" (page 190). Through my experience at Canal I saw some students who did not really want to be there. When I asked them if they needed help they politely said no, because they had other things on their mind. But there was one student whom I saw working by himself on his homework away from his friends. I asked him what he was working on and he told me all about his Social Studies assignment and how he was really interested in it. I was surprised to hear the enthusiasm coming out of this 12 year old kid. I smiled and said, "Alright, well you let me know if you need any help." As I began to walk away, he called me saying he needed me to check his homework. I was really happy to hear that he cared so much about doing well in school at such a young age.
The other narrative I connected my time at Canal Alliance with was Hector. I didn't have a personal experience with someone like Hector and his story, but the work he does and the struggles he goes through are a lot like the individuals who come to Canal Alliance for help. "We didn't call an ambulance or go to the doctor right away. I didn't want them to. I'd heard that they'll fire you if you get in an accident on the job" (page 97). I feel like the reason why he did not want to go to the hospital because he did not have health insurance, or the funds to pay for the care he needed. Hector would rather live with the pain than lose his job. I know this happens to many individuals in America. Canal Alliance helps those who need financial help and guidance. Hector ended up waiting too long to go to the doctor and the break he suffered required surgery. "I took the x rays to show my boss, but he only said that I waited to long to tell him about the fall. I didn't get anything for it" (page 98). I can only imagine how often this happens to undocumented immigrants. I appreciate the Canal Alliance for assisting individuals like Hector. Unfortunately Hector doesn't have an organization that helps him through tough times like the one he went through. Reading this book really opens my eyes to the fact there are people like these individuals in the book that are around me every day. Reading this book reminds me to be more sensitive when interacting with those at Canal Alliance.

Michelle Bella