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Richard Cardoso had long planned to go into science, exploring deep questions of the universe such as what quantum mechanics and the possibility of alternative universes mean for a persons sense of self.

But while hes leaning toward a major in physics and philosophy at Yale University where he can delve into such concepts, Cardoso now wants to be an attorney.

Images of children detained alone in immigration holding centers repeating stories similar to parents haunt him.

"I want to help people start better lives in this country, Cardoso said. I kept seeing the work attorneys were doing on child separation policy and how the ACLU got a lot of parents and children reconnected. They just did a lot of good."

Cardoso, 18, graduated from the Cedar Hill Collegiate High School this spring.

The son of immigrants, he grew up listening to his parents talk about moving from Mexico to Texas as teenagers hoping to have better opportunities. His father traveled to the U.S. alone, with no support.

In 2018, the Trump administration instituted a zero tolerance policy for border crossers, even those lawfully seeking asylum. Parents were separated from their children and many children were sent hundreds of miles away to detention shelters across the country.

Stories of separated children flooded the news for months.

My parents would tell me how they struggled to even find food to eat before they came to this country, Cardoso said. Then I would hear stories of these people on TV, and they would be exactly like my parents. That broke my heart. I knew I had to do something to help.

Cardoso hoped to get an up-close look at social justice work during a weeklong fellowship with the American Civil Liberties Union in Washington, D.C. this summer. But, like the rest of his senior year, the coronavirus disrupted those plans. Instead, itll be a week of virtual chats with attorneys and advocates who work on civil rights projects.

Friends and supporters say Cardoso is a natural leader who is always looking for ways to help others.

Hes on the mayors teen council, which discusses issues impacting young people and works on service projects across the city. He also volunteers with the youth group at Duncanville First Baptist Church where he has helped run the soundboard during sermons.

Daveen Cato, who taught Cardoso chemistry in his sophomore year, said the teen has a natural curiosity that makes science a good fit for him. A few months into her class, Cardoso was ready to explore how experiments could be applied to real-world applications, she said.

Hes the kind of student who is the light in the room and puts the smile on your face, she said. Hes so curious about how things work and always needs to know more.

Of course, shed love for him to go into science, but she said Cardosos devotion to helping others will drive any career path he chooses.

Cardoso said he tries not to focus on what hes lost during the pandemic: not only his own senior prom but one for special needs residents that he was helping with as part of the teen council. He also couldnt spend time with friends he knows he now wont see for many months once he goes away to college. That is, if he can go away.

He hopes in-person classes will be held in the fall semester despite the pandemic, although he knows his mom not-so-secretly wishes university officials will maintain online courses so her son can stay home just a little longer.

He wants to experience campus life even if it means hell be 1,600 miles away from family and friends and have to deal with brutal winters.

Im going really far away, so I cant just drive back home if I miss people, he said. Yeah, its nerve-racking right now because I dont know if I should start preparing to leave or not. But never in a million years would I have thought that Id be saying, Im going to Yale.

Editors note: The content for this Graduation 2020 story was gathered before George Floyds death in Minneapolis and before protests began across the nation.

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Cedar Hill grad pivots from science to law, determined to help others - The Dallas Morning News