From Paraguay to New York City: Class Struggles

July 16, 2015 | Pulitzer Center

Alissa Quart

Blanca works as a nanny. The two-year-old child she cares for is the same age her son Guido was when she left him with her mother in Paraguay 10 years ago so she could earn money in the United States. Image by Alice Proujansky. United States, 2014.

Blanca leaves her apartment building in Corona, Queens. Her commute is over an hour long. Image by Alice Proujansky. United States, 2014.

Blanca tries to convince Guido to go play outside during his third week in New York. Image by Alice Proujansky. United States, 2014.

Blanca holds the boy she cares for as a nanny. Image by Alice Proujansky. United States, 2014.

The view from Blanca's hallway. Image by Alice Proujansky. United States, 2014.

Blanca and Guido in the house where she works as a nanny, during his second week in the United States. Her parental role had been limited to frequent talking and texting while he lived abroad, so they needed to adjust to living together. Image by Alice Proujansky. United States, 2014.

Alone in his room, Guido plays a game on an iPhone Blanca's friend gave him. Without summer camp or friends, he spends most of his time at home alone while his mother works or commutes. Image by Alice Proujansky. United States, 2014.

Blanca hugs Guido. Image by Alice Proujansky. United States, 2014.

Blanca waits to pick up Guido during his first week at a 2,300 student middle school. She took the week off to help him settle in to school. Image by Alice Proujansky. United States, 2014.

Guido dribbles a basketball outside his home. A soccer fan, he is learning about basketball in an attempt to get comfortable with New York City culture. Image by Alice Proujansky. United States, 2014.

Guido in his living room five months after moving to New York City. He has become popular at school and attends an after-school program occasionally, but he spends most of his free time at home alone playing video games. Image by Alice Proujansky. United States, 2015.

Guido in math class. He and his mother struggled to navigate New York City's complex high school application process and ended up having to re-apply after being matched with a school that was an hour and a half away. Image by Alice Proujansky. United States, 2015.

Guido in the cafeteria at lunch time. Image by Alice Proujansky. United States, 2015.

Guido plays basketball with friends during school recess. He has become popular, but his grades are low. Image by Alice Proujansky. United States, 2015.

Blanca checks her phone as she begins the long walk home after work. She calls and texts Guido often during her commute. Image by Alice Proujansky. United States, 2015.

Guido and his friend Dilan, a recent immigrant from Colombia, work together in science class. Guido's English has become strong enough that he translates for other students in class. Image by Alice Proujansky. United States, 2015.

Blanca holds Beethoven, the Shih Tzu she got to assuage Guido's loneliness, at home. Image by Alice Proujansky. United States, 2015.

(Photos by Alice Proujansky)

Guido, a tall, handsome 13-year-old from Paraguay who had been in the United States less than a year, and his mother, Blanca, a naturalized immigrant, were at a loss. The 2014–2015 Directory of NYC Public High Schools is nearly 600 pages long, with overviews of more than 400 public high schools. Its introduction to the admissions process runs 14 pages. Many of Guido’s school-age peers and their parents were strategizing about how to get into the schools they wanted. Guido and Blanca didn’t even know what schools to want.

The idea behind school choice is that parents can choose a school—including both public and charter schools—that best fits their child’s needs. But such a choice can be a burden, even a danger, when children and parents don’t know how to judge their options. That can be especially true for immigrants, many of whom have a hard time navigating the rules or finding the people to help them. Even for the middle class, terms like “zone” or “charter” or “IEP” can be confusing; for new arrivals, they can be incomprehensible.