Arturo Reyes had a natural gift for soccer. So much so, he was recruited while at Duluth High School to receive a full-ride scholarship to SMU. But his dreams of becoming a professional athlete were shattered when he learned his status as an undocumented immigrant would prevent his scholarship eligibility.
“Several colleges were looking at me,” Reyes shared. “Once they found out I was undocumented they said, ‘I’m sorry, unfortunately we won’t be able to offer you a scholarship.”
Like many children brought to the U.S. as a young child, Reyes was unaware of his undocumented status until he was in high school, or what it meant for his future.
After watching his soccer teammates go off to college, Reyes struggled to find his next steps until the night his grandmother had a heart attack.
While at the hospital with his family, Reyes was asked to interpret for his grandmother. With no one else on staff in the ICU who could speak Spanish, Reyes was asked if he’d be comfortable accompanying his grandmother into a procedure room while they worked to remove a blockage. Not only lifesaving for his grandmother, but a life-changing moment for Reyes.
“You always hear about that one story that makes you want to be a doctor or what not, but that’s what happened to me,” said Reyes.
He began part-time at a nearby community college where four years later he graduated with a degree as a Medical Assistant and obtained a license to work in the field.
In 2012, Reyes received Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status, and in 2017 became a permanent U.S. resident. In 2016, he began volunteering at Good Samaritan Health Centers (Good Sam Gwinnett) in Norcross as part of an internship program.
“I learned so much,” Reyes said. “I was only supposed to come in two days a week for two shifts for four hours. I came in five days a week during my internship, and that’s how much I loved it.”
After several years as a full-time Medical Assistant at Good Sam Gwinnett, he decided to take the next step in his medical training. He’s currently enrolled full-time in Mercer University’s Physician Assistant Studies Program on the path to graduate in 2024.
In July 2021, a federal court ruled the DACA program illegal and blocked approval of new applications. The current administration is appealing this decision while Congress discusses a permanent legislative solution. In the meantime, people who already have DACA status can continue to hold their work permits and apply for renewal. Immigration services are still accepting first-time DACA requests but are unable to approve them. Details: www.nilc.org/issues/daca/.
The faith-based nonprofit Good Samaritan Health Centers of Gwinnett provides low-cost primary healthcare and dental services to the poor and uninsured at 5949 Buford Highway and 1175 Commercial Court in Norcross. Good Sam Gwinnett serves more than 30,000 individuals each year. Details: www.goodsamgwinnett.org.
When asked about advice to someone in his shoes Reyes said, “If you have a goal or dream, keep at it no matter what life throws at you. You’ll get there, sooner or later, maybe not the traditional way or normal timing but it’ll happen with hard work.”
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