Valedictorian gets scholarship, not deportation

By MCT

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

Arthur Mkoyan, 17, said Aug. 13 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.

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 Aug. 13.

“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 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 has 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 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.