Film crews follow ACC student

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September 21, 2016 - 12:00 AM

A yearlong documentary is following the progress of Allen Community College freshman Jose Reza as he strives to earn a degree in order to become a biology teacher.
Reza, 19, is being followed through his first year at ACC by a Univision film crew.
The documentary is part of a collaborative effort between Univision, an American Spanish language television network aimed at Latino Americans, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The project is a campaign to address the educational gap for Hispanic and African American students, noted Galo Arellano, a Univision reporter producing the documentary.
The film crew was in Iola this week to follow Reza through several of his classes, his cross country practices and for some leisurely activities. He and a handful of others traveled to Overland Park Tuesday afternoon for an indoor skydiving simulator trip.
It’s the second time film crews have been in Iola. They also were on hand as Reza arrived at the ACC campus in August.
Arellano said crews will be back often during the year for updates.
Reza, the son of an undocumented, single mother living in Florida, is one of four students across the country being followed by Univision crews.
“They’re not all university students,” Arellamo explained. “One of the students is in kindergarten; another is in high school.”
Reza has earned a student visa to allow him to stay in the United States. Provided his grades stay high enough, he’ll be allowed to stay in the U.S. until he earns his degree.
He plans to keep up his sterling academic record — his high school grade-point average exceeded 4.0 — although a long road lies ahead, he admits.
Reza immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico with his mother about four years ago.
Neither was able to speak English.
Jose said he learned the English language by reading a dictionary while his mother worked selling fruit in Ommokalee, in southern Florida.
He became so skilled both in and out of the classroom — he’s also a decorated cross country runner — Reza earned both academic and athletic scholarships to attend Allen. And while neither scholarship covered all of his expenses to attend Allen, Reza relied on donations through a Gofundme.com account to cover the rest of his college expenses this year.
Reza’s story will be updated once a month through Univision video blogs via www.univision.com/univision-news/education/camino-al-exito-ingles.

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