Anchorage Daily News

For most of the 25 graduates honored at an Alaska Pacific University commencement ceremony on Saturday, fulfilling their college education was all about the future.

But for Blanca Noriega-Echeverri, a children's book author and popular local artist, it was a chance to reconnect with her past. Not least of all her husband and children.

After living in Anchorage for 12 years and starting a family here with two young sons, Blanca and her husband Alvaro Echeverri were suddenly separated eight years ago last Christmas when federal agents ordered her out of the country.

The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service ruled that Blanca's succession of tourist visas were no longer sufficient for her to remain in America. She was deported to her native Mexico. But Alvaro, who was born in Colombia and had a valid visa here, wouldn't be allowed to work in Mexico, so he remained behind with the boys.

Which is how things stood in 2000 for about 10 months -- until a public outcry from a couple of thousand Anchorage residents and a special bill submitted to Congress by former Alaska Sen. Frank Murkowski managed to convince the U.S. State Department to grant Blanca a four-year student visa to study art at APU.

Recalling that moment and the extraordinary groundswell of local support brought both smiles and tears to Blanca's eyes Saturday after the ceremony concluded.

"The community was just wonderful," she said. "I got help from people I didn't even know."

Before her deportation, a Christmas Day story in the Daily News noted that Blanca would be forced to leave Alaska the next day in spite of all the people who vouched for her good works.

Born in Mexico City, she'd come here in 1988 with her new husband to study journalism and art at UAA, but soon found the out-of-state tuition too expensive. So Blanca raised the boys while writing and illustrating a bilingual children's book, "Angelitos" ("Little Angels"), published in 1998, about a day in the life of her two sons, then-9-year-old Daniel and 4-year-old Ivan. After appearing in public readings, she launched a free Spanish reading program at Loussac Library and volunteered at local schools. Meanwhile, Alvaro worked multiple jobs and managed to buy the family a house.

It was hard for Blanca to leave. But her return to Alaska and her family to attend APU in the fall of 2000 provided a second chance. Here's what happened next, Blanca says.

She thrived at APU. In 2004 she earned her bachelor's degree in art. After receiving that first college diploma, she sought and received an extension on her student visa to pursue a master's at APU -- focusing her research on the special educational needs of immigrant children.

Meanwhile, her husband launched a wholesale flower importing business, Flores d' Colombia, and worked to establish his U.S. citizenship. As his spouse, Blanca -- two years ago -- was granted citizenship too. She no longer has to worry about visas.

Completing her master's while raising children and helping to run the business -- often rising at four in the morning to order flowers from Bogota -- added a couple of years to getting her master's. But it was all worth it, Blanca said Saturday.

"This study (of immigrant children) became more important to me than publishing books."

Still, she now has three illustrated children's books she's preparing to self-publish, including one on Alaska and two others about the legends and traditions of Mexico. And she has a practicum for teachers and students on the special needs of immigrant children.

Find George Bryson online at adn.com/contact/gbryson or call 257-4318.

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