Joelle Rickard

For Joelle Rickard, the issue of immigration is an intensely personal one.
...
"If people wonder why these folks don't wait in line (to immigrate), it's because there is no line," said Rickard, who teaches reading and English language development at the Forest Grove school."They just come, because otherwise there's no hope."

Rickard was one of about 45 people who showed up in Forest Grove Monday night to engage in a conversation about immigration, sponsored by the West County Council for Human Dignity and several other agencies.

For Joelle Rickard, the issue of immigration is an intensely personal one. Eight years ago, the Fern Hill Elementary School teacher married Mexico ,