Read the article here.

The article “The Inspiration of Immigration” was written by Jo Gilbert, a student at Wheeling Park High School, and is an opinion piece. The article talks about how the word “immigration” started to hold a negative connotation, and claims that immigration is not a horrible process. She provides evidence by discussing the history of Wheeling, noting that immigrants make up a large part of it, as it was built on immigration. Gilbert goes on to interview teachers from Wheeling who are immigrants themselves. She talks about what their life was like before moving to the United States and what the process is like. Near the end of the article, Gilbert said that whether you agree or disagree with what is happening with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), ICE is causing harm to the community, and ends the article saying, “It doesn’t matter where you come from or what your story is, America was created to be a home for that diversity.”

This article can serve as a mentor text because of how Gilbert is able to write about a sensitive topic with care, along with how she is able to localize the topic of immigration. Interviewing immigrant teachers at her school shows she knows who to talk to, and possibly has asked around. And when Gilbert writes about the she writes with care. What information she does share helps strengthen her claim. I can see she put time and thought into her article by figuring out what information to include, along with finding whom to interview.