‘Diamonds’ Girl Is Reid Intern, Illegal Alien

From the Las Vegas Review-Journal:

UNLV student’s light question endures

Diamonds or pearls query asked as event ends

By HENRY BREAN and BETH WALTON
Nov. 17, 2007

A UNLV student’s question about jewelry preferences stirred more controversy a day later than health care, Iran or any of the other issues raised during Thursday’s Democratic presidential debate.

When University of Nevada, Las Vegas student Maria Luisa Parra-Sandoval asked New York Sen. Hillary Clinton whether she preferred diamonds or pearls, the crowd erupted with laughter.

But some 24 hours later, Parra-Sandoval said she was upset she had to ask the question. Parra-Sandoval couldn’t elaborate because she was on her way to work.

According to The New York Times, Parra-Sandoval, a political science student, was contacted by CNN through a professor to submit a question for the debate. She wrote two questions, about heath care and the Iraq war, but both were rejected by the network because similar questions were already slated to be asked, the newspaper reported.

On Wednesday, a CNN producer asked Parra-Sandoval for two more questions, one on a serious topic and a lighter question, The New York Times reported.

She responded with a question about the safety of the planned Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, and “with the deadline approaching … noticing the pearl-pattern background on her MySpace page” she posed the question about jewelry, the newspaper reported.

CNN told Parra-Sandoval to memorize both questions.

Since Yucca Mountain already had been discussed, “with less than two minutes left in the debate, CNN asked the student if she’d like to ask her ‘diamonds or pearls’ question,” a CNN spokeswoman said.

Parra-Sandoval agreed to ask the question, the spokeswoman said.

“Because I was on national TV, I felt hesitant, but then I felt like, ‘Oh my God, I’m on national TV, I’ll just ask it,’ ” Parra-Sandoval told The New York Times…

David Damore, a UNLV political science professor who teaches Parra-Sandoval’s public opinion class, was surprised to hear her serve up such a softball.

“I was a little disappointed right after I heard it,” he said.

“She’s a very, very bright girl, and she’s done a lot of research” on the issues, Damore said. “She’s probably one of the top students in our program.”

Parra-Sandoval is a member of the Honors College at UNLV. She was selected to attend the prestigious Public Policy and Leadership Conference at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and to serve as a political communications intern for Sen. Harry Reid in Washington, D.C., according to a press release the school issued about two years ago.

On Friday morning, Damore said he and other faculty members received an e-mail from Parra-Sandoval explaining why she asked the question.

Unfortunately for her, the question seems destined to become the one enduring moment from the debate, Damore said.

“She was very excited about going to the debate and getting to ask a question. Now it’s kind of turned into a nightmare for her,” Damore said. “She’ll always be known as the girl who asked the dumb question.”

How interesting it is that even this report airily glosses over the fact that Ms. Parra-Sandoval served as a communications intern for Harry Reid.

From the UNLV’s Trio/Gear Up Day Honorees list:

TRIO/ GEAR UP 2006 HONOREE – Maria L. Parra-Sandoval

Maria L. Parra-Sandoval came to the United States from a small Mexican village when she was 6 years-old. She attended Valley High School and graduated third in her class with a 4.6 G.P.A. She is a first generation college student at UNLV. Maria participated in CAEO’s Educational Talent Search Program while attending Valley High School.

Maria’s outstanding academic performance, led to several scholarships and admission into the Honors College at UNLV. Maria was one of 50 students selected nationally to attend the Public Policy and Leadership Conference at the John F. Kennedy School of government at Harvard University. This spring she will serve as the political communications intern for Senator Harry Reid in Washington, D.C. Currently a junior at UNLV, Maria is also in the McNair Scholars Program.

She is an immigrant on a quest to become a United States citizen and this will soon become a reality. Dreams beyond UNLV include both a law degree and a master’s in public policy from Harvard so that she can someday practice immigration law. She says “My parents have always said that I am the American Dream, but I believe above that, I am their dream come true.”

So Ms. Parra-Sandoval worked for Senator Harry Reid during the spring of this year. She might still be working for him, for all we know.

Meanwhile, as we have previously noted, Mrs. Clinton has already hired one of Harry Reid’s sons for a top position in her campaign. 

Note too that as of 2006 Ms. Parra-Sandoval was also an “immigrant” still in quest of her US citizenship. And by "immigrant" she means illegal alien.

From another UNLV pæan to her greatness:

Honors College Student Strives to Create Positive Change

Maria Parra-Sandoval didn’t take it lightly when her mother told her at the age of six that she and her family were leaving their small Mexican village to live in the most powerful and privileged country in the world.

“I knew it must be very important,” she recalls, remembering their month-long journey across the Mexican-American border.

She understood quickly that to succeed in this country as an immigrant wouldn’t come easy…

Parra-Sandoval is an immigrant on a lifelong quest to become a U.S. citizen, a dream that will soon become a reality. Although the process has been a long one, the experience has piqued her interest in our country’s legal system and influenced her career choice.

Dreams beyond UNLV include both a law degree and a master’s in public policy from Harvard so that she can someday practice immigration law…

No wonder she is such a hard working Democrat. But one wonders just how many illegal aliens Senator Reid has working on his staff.

But how can she even vote? (Wait, what am I saying? She has a student ID. And she works for Harry Reid.)

Remember, CNN claimed that the audience questions would come from “independent voters.” They would seem to have lied.

Shocking is it not?

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