A year ago Adrian Escarate, ’11, was the designated “hitting partner” for Roger Federer, and a few weeks ago he was the designated guest of Rep. Carlos Curbelo at the President’s State of the Union address.
The 29-year-old master’s candidate, in the U.S. since he was 3, is among the 800,000 DREAMers eager to continue in the DACA program which allows them to stay in the country and continue their education.
Adrian was one of 25 DREAMers that Democratic and Republican lawmakers invited to the President’s speech. He met several top politicians including Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, and even sat four seats away from the Trump family.
“My hope is that we made a positive impact,” he said. “That our presence and our stories reinforce the amazing contributions DREAMers have made to the country.”
Adrian was able to attend St. Thomas University as a student-athlete by playing on the men’s tennis team. Although undocumented, he was able to attend school with private scholarships and graduated Cum Laude from St. Thomas University in 2011 with a degree in communications arts and a minor in psychology. It was a great accomplishment, but unfortunately he could not exercise his degree because of his undocumented status. When DACA went into effect, Adrian was able to acquire a work permit, social security number, and a Florida Driver’s License.
“At St. Thomas I was given the opportunity to play tennis and receive scholarships that covered 100 percent of my tuition. I was very fortunate because it weren’t for St. Thomas I don’t know if I would’ve kept studying.
“St. Thomas also provided a sense of community and unity unlike any other university. The professors know you by name and you form a strong bond with other students.”
Tennis has always been part of Adrian’s life, but he plans to pursue a career in communications after receiving his master’s degree in communications.
