Ricky Zhang of Youth Radio is the son of Chinese immigrants. His parents don't speak English, so when it came time to fill out financial aid forms and scholarship applications, he was on his own.

Zhang says many other students he knows who are children of immigrants face similar problems. Some are worse off -- unable to qualify for financial aid because of their immigration status.

This story was produced by Youth Radio’s International Desk, in association with the National Geographic Society.

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