GIFT FROM STRANGER SENDING TEEN TO UC DAVIS

CBS 47
Aug 7 2008
CA

17-year-old Artur Mkoyan was almost deported to Armenia, but now he’s
going to UC Davis, thanks to the generosity of a total stranger.

For the family, the sudden change of fortune is hard to believe.

When Athur Mkoyan and his family first heard the news, they thought
it was a joke. A woman they had never met was offering to pay more
than $20,000 a year for college tuition.

Artur’s father, Ruben Mkoian, was recently re-united with his
17-year-old son. He spent more than two months in an immigration
detention center in Arizona.

The family fled the old Soviet Armenia 16 years ago for political
persecution. They came to the US on a legal visa and had been through
multiple appeals to stay in this country, but the appeals finally ran
out. Just as Artur was graduating from Bullard High, he was told he
would be deported back to Armenia.

A bill was introduced by Senator Diane Feinstein that says the Mkoyan’s
can stay, at least until next March. The family says senator Feinstein
promises to re-introduce the bill next year so they can remain in
the US.

Artur was accepted to U.C. Davis but his family said they could not
afford the tuition. That’s when Sherry Heacox stepped in. The bay
area mom recently watched her own daughter graduate from UC Santa
Barbara. She heard about Artur’s story and was moved by it. Heacox
is not wealthy but said, "I guess the question is, will we miss the
money? Yeah, the money will be missed. But I can’t think of a better
reason to miss it."

Artur Mkorian said, "It’s amazing. I mean, somebody’s offering to
pay over $80,000. That must mean something, you know?"