I work with immigrant high school students. Each June, I watch very intelligent teens, who want to be nurses, dentists, business leaders and teachers, become nannies, house cleaners and short-order cooks.

The policy to admit any qualified North Carolina high school graduate to our public colleges and universities created an opportunity important to these students and to all of us, as North Carolina experiences an increasing shortage of educated workers in these very fields.

This policy is under threat. Even though undocumented students pay a tuition that is higher than the actual cost of their educations, the state attorney general is seeking to bar them from the classroom.

Immigrant youth who have succeeded in school and desire a higher education are a godsend -- smart, driven and resourceful. With a higher education, they have the potential to satisfy many of the essential job needs in North Carolina.

It is imperative that we keep in place the current policy of admitting all qualified North Carolina students who want an education to our public colleges and universities.

Laura Wenzel

Chapel Hill