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Video still by the Ghandi Brigade

One of MMYC's brightest participants is the subject of the documentary, The Rights of Butterflies. The documentary profiles Katya, a young woman who immigrated to the U.S. from El Salvador with her mother when she was 13 years old. "It wasn't really my choice to come here- it was my parents' choice."

Katya completed an Associate of Art in communications and journalism at Montgomery College and continues to take classes with the hopes of transferring to a four-year institution if immigration laws allow. The documentary seeks to humanize a slice of the immigration debate: undocumented students brought to the U.S. as minors and their struggle for a college education. The Rights of Butterflies discusses the DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act), legislation that proposes a path to citizenship for students like Katya.

Katya has been involved with MMYC since 2005. She completed internships with Radio America and the Ghandi Brigade, and has participated in various community service projects, including a toy drive and block party for children in a low-income apartment community, a nursing home and animal shelter.  She is the recipient of a New Futures scholarship and Montgomery College scholarship.

The film is a project of the Ghandi Brigade, a non-profit organization in Silver Spring, Maryland, which prepares young people to become leaders in their communities with the use of multi-media. Participants receive training in video and graphic design and in turn teach back these skills to the community in the spirit of Mahatma Ghandi.

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