Jorge, 19-year-old immigrant from Mexico:

When we first met Jorge, he had a cold, rough and tough attitude. Before Liberty's Promise, he believed that the end of the road for Hispanic males was in the construction business. His participation in the Spring 2006 Civics Class helped change all that.

Jorge always had an interest in politics and immigrations issues, but never thought that he had the power to do anything about it. Our civics course taught him otherwise. By the end of the course, Jorge had become passionate, outspoken, and well-informed about the issues facing America today. The change was so pronounced that when Congressman Jim Moran came to speak to the class, he was visibly impressed by Jorge's thoughtful and articulate questions--so much so that the Congressman now knows him by name!

Following the program, Jorge became very active in extra-curricular activities in his high school and community. He organized student groups, participated the Arlington Latino Roundtable, and is volunteering at a day camp as a camp counselor. He graduated from high school this spring, and now has aspirations of serving his community as a firefighter.