Status as illegal aliens robs some of chance to succeed
Ronquillo died in his native Chihuahua during Manuel's sophomore year at Granite High School, a time when Manuel was still running with a local gang and slipping into a lifestyle that horrified his mother and extended family in Mexico.
It took his grandfather's death to change him forever.
"Me and him, we had long talks about life and values and stuff," said Manuel, now 19 and living in West Valley City. "When he died, I made a promise to him I would finish high school and make him proud."
As a token of that promise, Manuel did not cut his hair until graduation day 2 1/2 years later.
"I completed my debt to my grandfather," he said.
Manuel's rise from gangster to honor student might seem like a classic, feel-good story of a young man who turned his life around. But a year after graduation, Manuel has found the American dream not only elusive but downright discriminating against him and hundreds, perhaps thousands, of other Utah Hispanic teens who have found themselves in a bureaucratic nightmare.
They are, by legal definition, illegal residents of the United States, children of parents who entered this country illegally.
"Right now, these kids are in a legal void," said Mike Martinez, a prominent Utah attorney who champions Hispanic causes. "They are Mexican because of their parents, but they are as American as you or me. These are kids wanting to go on to college, who want to go into the military, but (U.S. policy) says they do not qualify to be American citizens."
Born in Chihuahua, Manuel came to California at age 10 with his mother, who had entered the country illegally in search of work. Fearful of the gang influence prevalent in California, she moved to Utah when Manuel was 12.
Things were pretty good for Manuel as a sixth-grader, but he says his life spiraled out of control during junior high school. He didn't care about school, he barely spoke English and he started running with Utah gangs.
Manuel was a "tagger" and proud of it. With cans of spray paint, he would draw elaborate mazes and cartoon characters.
"Tagging was all about showing off what kind of art you can do," he said. "You sign them, and people start noticing your art; at least on the streets they do."
Manuel's mother was so concerned about the gang activities she sent Manuel to live with his grandfather for several months. He came back for his sophomore year determined to do better, but he soon found himself slipping.
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