Damaris calls her mother her inspiration. “Ive seen how she suffers, working hard and raising us.”
II.
Damaris, who will enter the sixth grade at Zavala, describes herself as shy. Her voice is high and thin, but she is confident just the same. And bright. Damaris scores As on her report cards and hopes to go to college one day, as does her sister Nereyda, who will enter the 11th grade at the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders. While the girls excel in the classroom, they cling to their college aspirations with a whisper, fearing that college is just an unaffordable dream. Eliberta Arzate is fiercely proud of her daughters and wants them to have the opportunities she has not had. But she is eking out a living working nights as a dishwasher at IHOP, and she struggles to pay rent. Recently, Nereyda had asked her mother what the point was to work so hard in school if they could never afford to pay for college. “How could I tell them that we’re going to be able to pay for college when all we can afford is this apartment?” cries Eliberta. The Arzates live in a public housing apartment where the walls are covered with photos of family and a cabinet holds a handful of awards Damaris has won for making the honor roll and for perfect school attendance. 26
GivingCityAustin.com
Mark Barkan, an immigrant from France, believed anything was possible in America.