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DREAMer Ola Kaso Delivers Testimony at First Ever Senate DREAM Act Hearing

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This morning’s Senate DREAM Act hearing featured Ola Kaso, a DREAM Act student with a 4.4 GPA from Detroit, Michigan. Though she was brought to the United States when she was just four years old, she found herself fighting deportation to a country she barely knows just last month. Here’s some background from OneMichigan:

Ola and her mother, Violeta, came to the United States from Albania in 1998 and immediately applied for asylum. They lost their asylum case as a result of the negligence of their immigration attorney, when he failed to file court papers necessary for the family to get approved. On March 28th, 2011, Ola and Violeta were going to a routine visit with the immigration office in Michigan, when they were arrested and detained.

Ola will be graduating this year from Cousino High School and wishes to continue with her education and has been accepted to several universities, including University of Michigan’s Honors College. She is an exceptional student, having excelled in school since she was young. She currently holds a 4.4 grade point average, is a star athlete, and is the treasurer of the National Honor Society at Cousino High School. She also volunteers by tutoring students who are struggling to become proficient in English.

Watch as she delivers her exceptional testimony at the Senate hearing today. This recent high-school graduate totally held her own among high-ranking officials like Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security; Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education; and Margaret Stock, former professor at West Point:

 (Apologies for the delay in audio.)