Illegal Scholar
"Carlos is 17 years old with closely cropped black hair and an off-center smile. ... He's a typical teenager. Except for two things. First, he's a 'gifted' student and writer, according to his teachers. His GPA is 3.52, and his schedule is loaded with honors classes and Advanced Placement courses. Second, he's an illegal immigrant. Carlos' parents brought him to this country from Mexico on a tourist visa when he was almost 8 years old. More than nine years later, the family is still here - hidden in plain view in one of Southeast Portland's working-class neighborhoods."
BETH SLOVIC in the Willamette Week Online.