About

In the early hours of October 27, 1978 a thirteen-year-old boy was crammed with other undocumented immigrants in a small boat fighting against the ravages of the treacherous waters of the Bermuda Triangle-not a fair fight by far. As he stared at the faces of the other people inside the cabin, he was terrified, praying, crying, and thinking that this was his last day on earth. He feared that he would never see his parents and grandmothers again. As the boat forcefully rocked back and forth and left to right, and everyone struggled to stay in place, he was overtaken with fear and desperation. The darkness, the solitude of the night, and the ferocious movements of the boat were terrifying. He prayed and begged the lord for another day so that he could see his parents. Despite the prayers, the force of the ocean seemed to get worse, as each second slowly passed by in a time that felt like an eternity. He asked God, as he tried to stay calm, “Please, my lord, give me one more day in the arms of my mother, let me feel her kisses and her arms around me just one more time.” This boy had not seen his parents for several years. This boy risked his life for the opportunity to live in America with his parents as an undocumented immigrant.

Nearly seven years later, that same boy graduated from Princeton University and received the highest award that is given to a graduating senior.  This is an epic journey that brings him from the violence and the drug wars in the turbulence of Medellin, Colombia to the charm and beauty of the mythic classrooms, libraries, and laboratories of Princeton University and Harvard Medical School.   On his way to fulfilling his childhood dream of helping others, this boy had to endure the challenges and struggles of living in the margins of American society as an undocumented immigrant.  This is an extraordinary story of love, romance, struggle, hope, courage and determination.   It shows that in America all dreams are possible.