Jose Antonio Vargas was a Filipino journalist who had became famous in the United States for admitting that he is an undocumented immigrant although he had achieved numerous awards and recognition as a journalist. Vargas was awarded the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting.
Jose Antonio Vargas was born on February 3, 1981 in Antipolo City, Philippines. He was sent to the United States at the age of 12 by his parents to live with his grandparents who were living in Mountain View, California.
The young immigrant was unaware that he is undocumented. He attended Crittenden Middle School and Mountain View High School. Vargas came to know that he was undocumented only when he attempted to obtained a California driver’s license during the year 1997.
After knowing that he was undocumented immigrant he seek the help of his colleague, teachers and friends to obtained fake documents. He kept his identity status secret and pursued his study. He became an intern at the Mountain View Voice in 1998 and at the San Francisco Chronicle he became a “copy boy” later.
Vargas graduated with a degree in Political Science and Black Studies obtained from San Francisco State University. During his college days he worked for the San Francisco Chornicles. He later became part of the US award winning newspaper, the Washington Post.
In the year 1999, Vargas had admitted that he was a gay. One of the hardest decision he had ever made although he describe it as an easier one compared to the decision of coming out as an illegal immigrant. He was quoted and described the decision being “less daunting than coming out about legal status.” said Vargas.
After his multi-awarded contribution to the Washington Post, he transferred to Huffington Post last 2009, one of the premiere news and media organization around the world. It is one of the world most popular blog that was acquired by America On Line (AOL) lately.
Jose Antonio Vargas was not ony a writer, author and blogger but also a short-film producer, having produced a documentary about AIDS epidemic. The movie was entitled “The Queen City.”
Vargas admitted on 2011 about his immigrant status. He revealed that he was an illegal immigrant in which he had spent 11 years of hiding. He had written an article “My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant” for the New York Times which was published last June 22, 2011.