Illegal Immigrant to Neurosurgeon

[MangoPlant]

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"The basic narrative—penniless Mexican teenager jumps the border, learns English, and goes to Harvard Medical School to become a brain surgeon"

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500617_162-2827080.html

By all accounts, this man they call Dr. Q is one of the best up-and-coming neurosurgeons in the country. At 39, he is already director of brain tumor surgery at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.

Clinically brilliant — relentlessly charming — patients say it's almost like he was born to be a doctor.

If they only knew.

"My very first job was with these very same hands — very same hands that do brain surgery now, back then they pulled weeds," Dr. Q says.

Just 20 years ago, this renowned neurosurgeon was about as anonymous as a human being can get in America — just another illegal immigrant working the fields of California's San Joaquin Valley.

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/hmn/W07/feature1.cfm

This is a pretty amazing and inspirational story for any applicants, and even more so for international students.

My question is: how does an illegal immigrant get accepted into Harvard Medical School when international students (students that are legally here on F-1 visas) have such a hard time applying and getting accepted into ANY medical school.

 

[La Presse]

Rules were different back then chico.

Edit:

I guess they weren't. My bad for not reading.

 

[sbuxaddict]

I'm not able to answer your question, but thank you for sharing that article. Pretty inspiring 👍

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

"The basic narrative—penniless Mexican teenager jumps the border, learns English, and goes to Harvard Medical School to become a brain surgeon"

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500617_162-2827080.html



http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/hmn/W07/feature1.cfm

This is a pretty amazing and inspirational story for any applicants, and even more so for international students.

My question is: how does an illegal immigrant get accepted into Harvard Medical School when international students (students that are legally here on F-1 visas) have such a hard time applying and getting accepted into ANY medical school.

You skip this part bro?

"Next he got his U. S. Citizenship and a Harvard Medical School scholarship"


Edit: Alright I take back my derp because after reading another article it appears they misrepresented what happened in this article. He got his citizenship while he was in medical school. To answer your question a little more deeply, it's because nobody expects someone here on a student visa to stay here after they're done working (which is the truth a decent amount of the time). People come here for school and bail out all the time, so to waste a US medical school spot on someone that probably won't even stay in the US after medical school isn't a great idea. They actually aren't bailing out anyway because the point of a student visa is not to stay in the US permanently...it's to come here for school.

Also, I'm not gonna lie, Harvard probably "expedited" the process for him. If you look at his bio on Hopkins website he ended up being pretty well connected by the time he applied to medical school.

 

[Sophocles]

Saw this guy on Hopkins med and looked him up. Pretty amazing and inspirational story. He also finished medical school ~30-31, and therefore must have finished residency ~37, which made me feel good about non-trads going into such a lengthy residency. The dude is super caring but his sense of humor seems pretty awful...🙄

 

[MangoPlant]

You skip this part bro?

"Next he got his U. S. Citizenship and a Harvard Medical School scholarship"

Derp.

That does not specify the order in which those events happened. But let's assume that the order is what you interpreted it to be.

Politicians right now are debating whether there should be a way for illegal immigrants to obtain citizenship, so that implies that there was not one already in existence.

 

[Anathema]

I'd like the see the person complaining, "But he's taking our jobs!'

 

[MangoPlant]

I guess connections are more powerful than I thought.

 

[mzarrowsmith]

Essentially, he had good timing, worked hard, and was smart. It is very unlikely that he would get a green card under the current immigration policies.

How did you legalize your status?

When I was in community college in Stockton, I had a work authorization, and that became a temporary green card. This was the time of the Ronald Reagan amnesty. I became a permanent resident the year that I started Berkeley, '91, and then a citizen in '97 when I was at Harvard.

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/oct/01/opinion/la-oe-morrison-hinojosa-20111001

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_Reform_and_Control_Act_of_1986

 

[j814wong]

I would welcome illegal immigrants like this. In fact, I welcome any hardworking and intelligent person into the US regardless of how they come in.

 

[Marika11]

Its because he was solving impossibly difficult medical problems on the chalkboards at Harvard.. the teachers noticed him and offered him an acceptance.

No, nevermind, that was Good Will Hunting.

 

[lcm2020]

I wish I could get a green card like this guy did, he got pretty lucky with that

 

[Praefectus]

I'd like the see the person complaining, "But he's taking our jobs!'

 

[MangoPlant]

I wonder what he answered when AMCAS/Schools asked if he ever committed any crimes. I guess illegal entry is not a crime.

 

[cheesier]

You have to be a permanent resident under most circumstances before you can become a citizen. I don't know if medical schools view permanent residents as international students, but I bet it's easier to get federal funding.

 

[Anathema]

I think they hold permanent residents in the same regard as regular U.S. applicants. Internationals are usually on a work or student visa.

 

[maaza1]

I recently finished reading his book and yes he was granted amnesty during the Reagan presidency, it's still a great feat nonetheless he jumped the fence twice and got into Harvard in 7 years. He's an inspiration to all undocumented students.
Also, Green Card holders are treated the same as Citizens.

 

[AestheticGod]

Obviously got there cause of UMR status. (not srs)

Pretty inspiring story honestly

 

[pinipig523]

Bad*****.

 

[Drogo]

As a first-generation Mexican-American non-traditional student this is a very inspiring story.

Thanks for sharing
.