She went from undocumented immigrant to Syracuse University's first Asian-American history professor

It is a good time for an upbeat story.   Professor Junko Takeda recently became the first Asian-American and woman of color to be promoted to full professor in the history department at Syracuse University.  A first generation college student, she once was undocumented.  Professor Takeda today is an established scholar in the field of early modern French history.

"Takeda was born to a Japanese mother and a Korean father in Japan. Her parents came to the United States with student visas in 1979 when she was three years old. They were both daycare providers and looked for a better life and more opportunities for their daughter. After their student visas expired and their employers declined to help them obtain H1 visas, they remained here, undocumented, under a looming specter of deportation."

KJ