Texas valedictorian says she meant no offense by "undocumented" tweet

CBS News and Associated Press ^ | 6/9/2016 | Staff

[simpson96]

AUSTIN, Texas -- A Texas high school valedictorian who described herself as "undocumented" in a tweet touting her academic accomplishments said she didn't intend to cause offense.

"My tweet wasn't made to mock anyone. I just wanted to show that no matter what barriers you have in front of you, you can still succeed," Mayte Lara told the Austin American-Statesman on Wednesday.

Lara graduated June 3 from Crockett High School in Austin. The 17-year-old's tweet read: "Valedictorian, 4.5GPA, full tuition paid for at UT, 13 cords/medals, nice legs, oh and I'm undocumented."

The tweet went viral and generated a barrage of negative comments online, most calling for her to leave the country and expressing anger at her University of Texas scholarship.

"First and foremost, I can fully admit that I should've been more cautious about my word choice, especially in these times where everything you say gets twisted and bashed on," she said in a statement to CBS affiliate KEYE. "However, I don't deserve the harassment I've been receiving and I should be proud of where I come from."

Lara said she was unprepared for the backlash and decided to deactivate her account "in attempts to ignore the harmful comments," she said.

"It was a common trend on twitter to highlight your success through a tweet like that, and I saw many other students from across the country doing the same and sharing the things they'd overcome, so I thought I'd share mine," she said to KEYE.

[9YearLurker]

I take it you’re the “situational ethics” type.

[Sacajaweau]

The nice legs comment is enough grounds for a natural born Caucasian citizen to have the scholarship taken away.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

Lawmaker: Ruling opens door to limit concealed-gun permits

http://www.theolympian.com/news/state/washington/article82901877.html

[uncitizen]

doh! That’s where I screwed up!

[Billthedrill]

My tweet wasn't made to mock anyone.

Yes, actually, yes it was. What the young lady didn't realize and apparently still doesn't, is that the people who paid for her education have become a little more vocal about that "in your face" sort of thing.

[ladyjane]

Fine. Now return to Mexico, parasite. And pay back every peso you an your "undocumented" law-breaking family ever stole from America and our taxpayers when you illegally invaded our nation. THEN GET IN LINE LIKE EVERY OTHER DESERVED LAW BIDING IMMIGRANT DOES.

Excellent!

[ArcadeQuarters]

Yeah, I remember 4.0 being perfect. it’s become a scam of bonus points. Some kid actually got 9 something.

[fingers_crossed]

I am glad so many others expressed their outrage...being illegal in another country then bragging about it...slandering us...putting us down...

If things are so bad here...why didnt she go to school in Mexico...thats the question I want asked...

Why are all these ppl leaving Mexico to come here...and then bashing and slamming the country that gave here the opportunity and paid for it.

She herself and others like her is what causes problems and backlash...being ungrateful and slamming us

And they cant take back what they said...or how they said it...because we know the apology is crap and what the said to begin with is the truth

[ichabod1]

Apparently they can get higher than 4.0 with advanced placement.

[magna carta]

I spent a good 3 hours on TW yesterday going after this crew including YALE. It had me so infuriated. #LarissaMartinez on TW was loaded with pissed off right-wingers. I hammered YALE and let them know I would not send my kitty’s litter box to this NWO indoctrination camp. I found the video where Yale students were petitioning to limit 1A.

[ichabod1]

Sigh, unfortunately she will meet a whole cadre of sympathetic leftists when she gets to UT.

[magna carta]

BINGO-I tried to get this across in my TW storm yesterday they r all Common Core educated and bragging about AP classes. Remember AP bypassed the Holocaust and had to remedy. DUMBASSES GOING TO DUMBASS YALE needs to be a hashtag.

[Kit cat]

I LOVE that hashtag!!!!

[Nifster]

If this ILLEGAL can get away with that kind of racism what is the problem with Trump?

[Kit cat]

These educators WOULD LOVE to be able to bypass the Holocaust America must be praised for their actions and they just can’t bare to praise America for ANYTHING, after all America IS responsible for ALL the woes in the world today!!! If I had college age children they would NEVER set foot in a university today it would be trade school or NOTHING!!!!

[magna carta]

My daughter’s story-she had 6K in a college fund. Is learning welding. She can save up, get her head screwed on straight and pay for her own degree if she wants.

[Popman]

Why hasn’t this little pissant piece of criminal trash been deported yet?

That was a rhetorical question ?

The answer to your question is "never"...

[utahagen]

The ethics are murky when the country you want to go to sends mixed signals about whether you really are not allowed to sneak in. That's why I believe we need to build a wall along the Mexican border! The USA ostensibly believes all immigration should follow an orderly, legal process, yet we reward people who sneak over our borders. We grant automatic citizenship to babies whose mothers sneaked over the borders while pregnant, then we give baby (and mother) full benefits, including medical care, housing, food, etc. Our President orders border police to look the other way or to release people they capture, etc, etc. These things being the case, I've never seen the problem being about the non-violent Mexicans who want to come her; the problem is our politicians who send signals that they SHOULD sneak over the border. Given this Alice-in-Wonderland reality, I'm being honest and admitting that if I lived in Mexico and had a choice between hiding in the back of the a van, driving through the desert, and being welcomed as a quasi-citizen immediately, versus spending years trying to get in legally, I'd do the former. Again, that is why we need a wall along the border and why we need a President who enforces immigration law.

[ek_hornbeck]

So not only is an illegal immigrant taking up educational resources that could have gone to a US citizen, she will now use her affirmative action-derive tuition waiver to major in a completely worthless field like “Chicano Studies,” with a minor in “Women’s Studies.” Sure is heartwarming.

[Hulka]

Meant no offense with an ‘in your face’ posting. . .sure. . .