{"id":2860,"date":"2014-03-04T16:44:03","date_gmt":"2014-03-04T21:44:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mdcthereporter.com\/?p=2860"},"modified":"2017-01-19T21:29:51","modified_gmt":"2017-01-20T02:29:51","slug":"brayan-takes-the-train","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/brayan-takes-the-train\/","title":{"rendered":"Brayan Takes The Train"},"content":{"rendered":"

On a chilly morning in Boynton Beach, glimmers of dawn cut through the pitch-black sky, as Brayan Vazquez steps out of his home and begins a 55-mile journey to school. <\/span><\/p>\n

Brayan (pronounced BRY-uhn) is undocumented. <\/span><\/p>\n

He doesn\u2019t have a car or a driver\u2019s license, so today, like every Tuesday and Thursday, his dad Jesus Vazquez heads to his construction job in Boca Raton and drops Brayan, a 19-year-old computer science major at Miami Dade College, off at the Delray Beach Tri-Rail station to start his nearly two-hour trek to North Campus. <\/span><\/p>\n

For undocumented students like Brayan, there aren\u2019t many options for affordable higher education. Miami Dade College is one of two schools that offer in-state tuition waivers to those granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which Brayan was accepted for in 2013. He could get a driver\u2019s license with his recently approved DACA, but affording a car and still having to make the one-hour plus drive would be unfeasible. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A little after 5 a.m. on the mornings he has class, Brayan drags himself out of bed, jumps in the shower, and grabs a bagged lunch made that morning by his mom. It\u2019s a long commute many just wouldn\u2019t make. <\/span><\/p>\n

Closer schools like Palm Beach State College<\/span>\u2014<\/span>about a 10-minute drive away from Brayan\u2019s house<\/span>\u2014<\/span>don\u2019t offer the waiver, making the cost too expensive for him to afford. <\/span><\/p>\n

At Palm Beach State, in-state students pay $98.25 per credit hour, while out-of-state students pay $358 per hour. At MDC the rates are similar, with in-state tuition at $114.22, per credit, and out-of-state tuition at $398.50. <\/span><\/p>\n

Without the waiver, Brayan would be looking at a tuition bill of about $4,800 for the four classes he is taking this semester. With it he pays a little more than $1,370. <\/span><\/p>\n

According to Grace H. Truman, Director of College Relations & Marketing at PBSC, the school isn\u2019t pursuing tuition waivers for undocumented students though the college does support currently proposed legislation as a long-term solution for students like Brayan. <\/span><\/p>\n

The commute starts with a 15-minute drive from their home in Boynton Beach \u00a0to the Delray Beach Tri-Rail station. \u00a0On this particular day, they listen to Spanish oldies on a local radio station. Brayan mumbles along with the lyrics, gazing out the passenger window through his black, thick-rimmed glasses. <\/span><\/p>\n

Suddenly, Jesus points out the passenger window, catching a glimpse of a white bus. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLook there,\u201d Jesus says, pointing at the bus. \u201cThose are agricultural workers; those are the jobs many of us end up having to work when we get here.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

They arrive at the station and say their goodbyes for the day. As the sun starts to rise, Brayan waits for a few minutes on a bench before the train approaches. <\/span><\/p>\n

When it arrives he quickly scans an electronic boarding pass on the tap-and-go station and weaves through commuters into the train, taking the stairs to the top of the cabin. He grabs a window seat, puts on his headphones, listening to Puerto-Rican alternative hip-hop musicians Calle 13. He begins reading through his \u201cWe the People\u201d textbook for his government class.<\/span><\/p>\n

The train glides by nine other stations before reaching the Opa-Locka Station; he then hops on a bus to get to North Campus at around 8:30 a.m.<\/span><\/p>\n

On most school days, Brayan leaves home around 6 a.m. and doesn\u2019t return until \u00a06 p.m. He\u2019ll arrive early, go to his classes, study in the computer lab and later mirror his morning trip to the background of a setting sun.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI worry if school is even worth it,\u201d Brayan said, during a recent commute. \u201cCan I pay for next semester? I had to drop one of the five classes I had picked. This is what my parents want, this is their dream. So many of my uncles, aunts and cousins have so much hope in me. They believe in me more than I do sometimes.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Politics as Usual<\/b><\/p>\n

As the national conversation on immigration reform remains a top-shelf issue, Florida is no exception. <\/span><\/p>\n

In 2012, President Barack Obama signed the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The memorandum provides a temporary solution for undocumented immigrants who are under 31, came to the U.S. while under the age of 16 and have attended, attend or have graduated from high school or completed a General Education Development (GED) degree. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rick Scott, facing re-election in November and hoping to gain momentum with Hispanic voters, is starting to feel increased pressure from Florida legislators regarding the issue of tuition equality for undocumented students. <\/span><\/p>\n

“I’ll certainly consider it,” Scott told the Florida Hispanic Legislative Caucus in early February, neither announcing or denouncing support for new legislation.”I think tuition is too high.”<\/span><\/p>\n

In February, Bill HB-851, was filed in the house by District 119 Representative Jeanette Nu\u00f1ez (R) of Miami. The bill aims to establish resident status for tuition purposes for cases like Brayan\u2019s. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Passing legislation like that comes \u00a0with challenges. It\u2019s been 11 years since the first piece of legislation regarding in-state tuition for undocumented students was debated in Florida and though it\u2019s been discussed at several levels, nothing has ever been passed. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of football left to be played,\u201d said Nu\u00f1ez of the bill\u2019s chances of becoming law. \u201cThere are sixty days of legislature. While it\u2019s sixty short days, it\u2019s also sixty long days. I\u2019m confident that this is as good a chance as any it\u2019ll have.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Students who attended at least three years of high school in the state and apply for college within two years of graduation would be covered by the bill. At least 15 other states have passed similar laws. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just a question of fairness, it\u2019s a question about what type of society and economy we want to live in,\u201d said Jose Javier Rodriguez, (D) Representative for District 112 of Miami. \u201cThese are students that the state has already invested in going through high school. Just at the point where they\u2019re going to start being productive in society they\u2019re being cut off.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Eduardo Padr<\/span>\u00f3<\/span>n, the president at MDC, believes helping students in this position isn\u2019t as much an intellectual issue as it is a moral one. He commends students like Brayan for their commitment to an education and recalls that without similar opportunities he himself wouldn\u2019t have been in the place he is today. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf I had to pay four times the cost of tuition at the time I came here I would not have been able to complete college,\u201d Padr<\/span>\u00f3<\/span>n said. \u201cThis is very personal. I think (tuition equality) is personal to anyone who understands the basic fabric of America. It\u2019s something that needs to happen and it needs to happen now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A Better Future <\/b><\/p>\n

Growing up in Jaral del Progreso, a city about four hours northwest of Mexico City was a humble start. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI had a doll, it had one broken eye. I used to make it clothes, sew little dresses for it,\u201d said Brayan\u2019s mother, Maria de los Angeles Aguilar. \u201cI saw my doll as beautiful but she was ragged and broken. I always dreamed when I could, I wanted to give me kids something I never had.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

On a recent Wednesday night, the family gathers in the living room of the Boynton Beach home they just recently moved into. Abril Denisse Vazquez, \u00a0Brayan\u2019s nine-year-old sister, is sitting on a couch on the far side of the room, finishing her homework. Jesus and Maria recall memories of their early life in Mexico, as Brayan listens intently. <\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus and Maria were born and raised in Jaral del Progreso. They met in high school and started dating after Maria split up with a boyfriend. They laugh as they talk about how they would go out on Sundays, per tradition, to \u201cEl Jardin\u201d or the garden. It was a small park where people would walk around looking for dates and mingle. Single women would walk in one line and the men would walk in a parallel line, going for a stroll in hopes of finding a match. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I met him and he asked me to go around the garden, we started to get to know each other more,\u201d Maria said. Her smile got bigger as she looked toward her husband. \u201cHe was so quiet. I felt so happy when I was with him. I knew every Sunday we\u2019d go out. I even took him to church.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus would leave to the U.S. early in their relationship, already having family in Arizona. <\/span><\/p>\n

Maria remembers the day to the tee; January 4, 1994. It was a sad day, she said softly, the uncertainty of the man she loved weighing on her. <\/span><\/p>\n

They wouldn\u2019t speak again until November of the same year<\/span> but Maria always prayed for him. When they finally spoke on the phone, Jesus told her he missed her. Maria didn\u2019t tell him, but she decided she\u2019d wait for him. <\/span><\/p>\n

When he returned to Mexico, a few years later, they married. They had Brayan in 1995 and Jesus constantly jumped between the U.S. and Mexico for work. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBack then, it was easier to save money as a single man in the U.S.,\u201d Jesus said. \u201cI lived with my sister, so I\u2019d pay $100 in rent, $50 in food. I could send [Maria] money back through Western Union or MoneyGram.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Maria raised Brayan without the constant presence of his father. Around the time Brayan was two, Maria decided she\u2019d come to the U.S. with her son for the first time.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I brought him he was two-years-old. We walked through a canal and I kept walking, soaking wet,\u201d she recalls, her voice softly painting the details of the difficult journey. \u201cWe walked and my face was cut from the branches. The clothing would get stuck on the branches. I walked with him, protecting him. It was hard, so hard. We were a group of about 12 people, and they put us on a truck to bring us over.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Maria would end up returning to Mexico when Brayan was still a baby. The financial constraints in the 1990\u2019s made it difficult for her to stay. Ten years later she\u2019d come back for good, this time with her two-year-old daughter and a 12-year-old Brayan. <\/span><\/p>\n

A family enjoying the simple pleasure of a roof over their head, watching TV and food in the refrigerator are what they always fought for. It\u2019s not a life of luxury, the family makes under $30,000 a year, but they\u2019ve got what they need, and more importantly, each other. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not a perfect family,\u201d Jesus said. \u201cWe argue, we disagree, but we try to talk things out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

They take their conversation outside to the porch and continue talking about their day. Outside, Maria giggles as Denisse tell her a joke about her friend at school, whose name is May but instead she calls her March. <\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus gets up from the porch and walks onto the lawn. He leans over and starts to pull weeds from the grass. He wants to keep the grass of his new home pristine. Brayan sees his dad and joins him. They quietly pull weeds for half an hour, piling them up into a big stack before receding back into their home around 9 p.m. <\/span><\/p>\n

They\u2019ll go to sleep and in a few short hours, they\u2019ll be up again for school and work, ready to face the type of long days they’ve fought so hard to fight for.<\/span><\/p>\n

When 16 comes along…<\/b><\/p>\n

After his first class, Brayan usually grabs a seat by the lake at North Campus to eat his lunch. Today he\u2019s eating the turkey, queso fresco and avocado sandwiches his mother made him early in the morning, along with grapes, a protein bar and a bottled water. He normally sits by himself. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to make friends,\u201d Brayan said. \u201cWhen you only come to school twice a week, it\u2019s not easy to meet people.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

His second class, intermediate algebra, lets out at about 3:30 p.m. From North Campus he\u2019ll catch a bus back to the train station. The Tri-Rail train he usually takes leaves around 4:15 p.m., but today he is running a bit late. That means he has to wait a half hour for the next train. <\/span><\/p>\n

Sitting at the station, waiting, he begins to talk about his story. Words uttered last night are echoed. Brayan\u2019s thoughts, begin to wander toward his future and his family, and the possible hardships his sister might face when she gets older. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t break her smile, you can\u2019t tell her that not having nine-digit number won\u2019t let her accomplish all her dreams,\u201d he says, his voice shaky and his eyes slightly welling up. \u201cYou can\u2019t break her smile, but when 16 comes along, the cruel reality hits her. I don\u2019t dare to tell her what life is like being undocumented.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

On the ride back, Brayan is quiet. He\u2019s looking out the window of the northbound train as the sun sets. The loud air conditioning almost creating a vacuum in the cabin making other voices too quiet to hear. <\/span><\/p>\n

He breaks his silence when asked about his dreams. He\u2019s mentions wanting to help people in less-than-favorable positions. His goal is to eventually start a safehouse for women and children who\u2019ve been through traumatic experiences.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the end of the day, Brayan will have travelled more than 110 miles on two trains and two buses. He\u2019ll file off the train and get picked up by Jesus, who waits for him at the Boynton Beach station with his sister. He isn\u2019t quiet like in the morning. In the car he jokes around with his sister. they discuss their day, and all that happened at school.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite its length, \u00a0Brayan says he has learned to love his commute. According to him, everything he sacrifices isn\u2019t close to what he\u2019s gained from the experience. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople might feel sorry for me, because I have to travel for an hour and thirty minutes on the train,\u201d he said. \u201cBut If I was driving in a car, I wouldn\u2019t meet some of the amazing people I\u2019ve met.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On a chilly morning in Boynton Beach, glimmers of dawn cut through the pitch-black sky, as Brayan Vazquez steps out of his home and begins a 55-mile journey to school. Brayan (pronounced BRY-uhn) is undocumented. He doesn\u2019t have a car or a driver\u2019s license, so today, like every Tuesday and Thursday, his dad Jesus Vazquez […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":185,"featured_media":2861,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[28,603,604],"class_list":{"0":"post-2860","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-student-spotlight","9":"tag-daca","10":"tag-immigration"},"yoast_head":"\nBrayan Takes The Train - The Reporter: The Student Newspaper at Miami Dade College<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/brayan-takes-the-train\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Brayan Takes The Train - The Reporter: The Student Newspaper at Miami Dade College\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On a chilly morning in Boynton Beach, glimmers of dawn cut through the pitch-black sky, as Brayan Vazquez steps out of his home and begins a 55-mile journey to school. 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He doesn\u2019t have a car or a driver\u2019s license, so today, like every Tuesday and Thursday, his dad Jesus Vazquez […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/brayan-takes-the-train\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Reporter: The Student Newspaper at Miami Dade College\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-03-04T21:44:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-01-20T02:29:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Brayan-Takes-the-Train.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"5760\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"3719\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Gregory Castillo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Gregory Castillo\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"12 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/brayan-takes-the-train\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/brayan-takes-the-train\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Gregory Castillo\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c09ff5674e25191176038dac4fb6d41f\"},\"headline\":\"Brayan Takes The Train\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-03-04T21:44:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-01-20T02:29:51+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/brayan-takes-the-train\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2393,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/brayan-takes-the-train\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/staging\\\/8357\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/12\\\/Brayan-Takes-the-Train.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Student Spotlight\",\"DACA\",\"Immigration\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/brayan-takes-the-train\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/brayan-takes-the-train\\\/\",\"name\":\"Brayan Takes The Train - The Reporter: The Student Newspaper at Miami Dade College\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/brayan-takes-the-train\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/brayan-takes-the-train\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/staging\\\/8357\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/12\\\/Brayan-Takes-the-Train.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-03-04T21:44:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-01-20T02:29:51+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/brayan-takes-the-train\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/brayan-takes-the-train\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/brayan-takes-the-train\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/staging\\\/8357\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/12\\\/Brayan-Takes-the-Train.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/staging\\\/8357\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/12\\\/Brayan-Takes-the-Train.jpg\",\"width\":5760,\"height\":3719,\"caption\":\"GREGORY CASTILLOTHE REPORTER On The Move: Brayan Vazquez, 19, a computer science major at North Campus,is undocumented. 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