America’s opportunities

Lindsay Sandham

America has often been called the land of opportunity. For America

Arias, life in the United States has been full of opportunities, all

of which she welcomes and appreciates.

She graduated from Newport Harbor High School last week, and now

the Newport Beach resident has the opportunity to go to college, with

much credit to her willpower and hard work.

Arias is one of 13 recipients of the Assistance League of

Newport-Mesa annual scholarship program. She accepted a $1,000 check

at an Assistance League luncheon Tuesday. Scholarship recipients are

chosen based on a combination of academics, community involvement and

personal circumstances.

Ellen Edwards, the league’s co-chairwoman of community outreach,

said Arias was chosen mainly because of her determination.

While a sophomore and junior in high school, Arias missed

countless days of school because she chose to clean houses to help

support her family, which was struggling financially after Arias’

mother gave birth to a fourth child.

Arias, the oldest child, moved to Southern California with her

family from Michoacan, Mexico, in 1996, when she was 9 years old. Her

father named her America in honor of his lifelong dream to move to

the United States.

Arias said there is a belief in her family that it is the man’s

responsibility to become educated and that the women should work to

support them while doing so, which is why she made the decision to

work instead of go to class. Her father was relying on her

15-year-old brother to go to school, make good grades and go to

college.

“I knew that I had to sacrifice myself for him,” she said. “I knew

that it was my responsibility.”

Arias said she didn’t tell her teachers about her situation

because she didn’t want them to interfere. She worried that if she

told them the truth, she would not be able to clean houses any more.

“It became my routine,” she said. “I grew accustomed to it because

it was my daily life.”

When she got her report card at the end of her junior year --

having made no A’s, some Bs and Cs and a couple Ds -- Arias knew she

had to start focusing on her studies. She showed her father and told

him, “This isn’t reflecting who I am.”

He told her she had to make the choice; that she either had to

drop out of school and clean houses, or go to class full-time.

“It was a tough decision,” Arias said. “He is really proud of how

I found my way ... I know that I’ve opened new doors for my

siblings.”

Arias’ grades improved tremendously her senior year as she edited

the Spanish page of her high school paper, the Beacon, and

volunteered at the Shalimar Teen Center, the Costa Mesa Senior Center

and Someone Cares Soup Kitchen.

Because of her hard work and resolve, Arias was awarded with 11

scholarships. She will attend Cal State Fullerton in the fall, where

she will major in political science or journalism. She said the

scholarship money will be enough that she won’t need to work, at

least for the first year, and she’ll be able to focus on her studies.