VALEDICTORIAN GOES FROM FEAR OF DEPORTATION TO COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP
By Vanessa Colãn

The Olympian
Aug 7 2008
WA

Links Comments A generous benefactor has made a Bullard High School
valedictorian’s university hopes a reality.

Arthur Mkoyan, 17, said Wednesday that he’ll be attending the
University of California at Davis thanks to a Northern California
woman who read about his plight and decided to help him in a big way.

Mkoyan, whose college dream was nearly destroyed by deportation to
Armenia, will attend his first college choice after all.

Instead of going to community college, he’s expected to attend freshmen
orientation at the UC Davis campus Sunday.

A month ago, Mkoyan decided to go to Fresno City College because his
family couldn’t afford UC Davis and he didn’t qualify for state and
federal financial aid because he’s neither a U.S. citizen nor a legal
permanent resident.

Mkoyan finds it unbelievable that someone offered to pay for his
college education.

"It’s great someone is willing to help out. I’m excited and happy I
get to go to Davis. I can’t wait," Mkoyan said.

Mkoyan’s benefactor, Sherry Heacox of Danville, Calif., was touched
by his story and decided to pay his four years at UC Davis. Heacox
operates a food-import business from home. Her husband, Hank, is
an engineer.

"It was a compelling story. He was caught in the middle," she said
in a phone interview Wednesday.

"The entire situation was a bad one. Sometimes you have to step up
to the plate," Heacox said.

Another woman contacted Mkoyan’s mother, Asmik Karapetian, to offer
to help raise funds to pay for Mkoyan’s education. The two women were
the only people to contact the family offering help.

Heacox plans to join Mkoyan’s family Sunday for Mkoyan’s freshman
orientation at UC Davis.

Heacox said she plans to pay $25,000 for the 2008-09 school year,
including room, board, books and tuition. She said she already paid
a deposit of $450 for Mkoyan’s dorm room. She’s spoken with UC Davis
admissions personnel to arrange payments for Mkoyan.

UC Davis spokeswoman Julia Ann Easley declined to speak about Mkoyan
or confirm his entry to the campus.

Mkoyan said he plans to major in chemistry and start a new path.

Mkoyan and his parents, who all faced deportation, were allowed to
stay in the United States after Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein
introduced a private bill on Mkoyan’s behalf in June. The bill halted
their deportation and can lead to permanent legal residency.

Mkoyan and his mother were ordered to leave the United States in
late June for Armenia. Mkoyan’s 12-year-old brother, a U.S. citizen,
would have gone with them, family members said. Mkoyan’s father,
Ruben Mkoian, who spells his name differently from his son’s, was
released from a detention center in Eloy, Ariz., after Feinstein
introduced her bill.

Mkoyan’s family had entered the United States on tourist visas
after fleeing the former Soviet Union. They began seeking asylum
in 1992. Ruben Mkoian’s application for asylum was rejected. Mkoian
appealed to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco,
which rejected his appeal.

The private bill allows the family to stay together in Fresno, but
their status remains in limbo. As long as the bill is pending or is
reintroduced, it protects them from deportation. Mkoyan’s bill is in
the Senate Judiciary Committee, according to Feinstein’s office.

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