When Jessica Zarate moved to the U.S. from Mexico as a child, she was so young that the memory didn’t stick, and she grew up thinking she was born and raised an American.
It wasn’t until high school, when Zarate’s mom first brought up college, that Zarate found out she wasn’t a documented U.S. citizen, and that getting a higher education here wouldn’t be easy.
But she said her mom helped her apply for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, a President Obama-era policy that protects undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children. The program currently protects about 800,000 undocumented immigrants from deportation while they work and attend school.
That includes Zarate–now a sophomore at Allan Hancock College and president of the Dream Club, a student-led organization working to support local undocumented students–who said she was blessed to have help while searching for financial aid options and support services prior to college.
Not all students are so lucky, and Zarate said she and other Dream Club members are hoping to make it easier for undocumented students to navigate the higher education system by establishing a dedicated resource center. The proposed Dream Center, she said, would provide a safe space on Hancock’s campus for undocumented students to get pro bono legal services, look into financial aid options, find career and internship opportunities, attend workshops, and get counseling.
“It’s a space where students could go in and feel safe,” Zarate told the Sun, adding that while Hancock does provide various resources for its undocumented population, incoming students often don’t know about them or where to find them.
Zarate wants to change that.
“Whether it’s outreach or getting a Dream Center on campus, I’m going to do whatever I can to make that happen,” she said.
The Dream Center was first proposed by students in the fall of 2017, shortly after an internal survey of Hancock’s student body found that roughly 440 undocumented immigrants were enrolled at the time. Associate Superintendent and Vice President of Student Services Nohemy Ornelas said that because many students are afraid to come forward as undocumented, that number could actually be higher.
“So it’s important for our community to know we’re supportive of our undocumented students,” Ornelas told the Sun.
Hancock already provides various support services to undocumented students through the Advance Innovate Maintain (AIM) Center, an online resource funded by a U.S. Department of Education Hispanic-Serving Institutions Title V grant. Ornelas said AIM would be integrated into and expanded at the Dream Center, giving its services a central location that currently doesn’t exist.
While details are still being decided and a project timeline has yet to be determined, the Dream Center proposal has gained support from several student, staff, and faculty-led campus councils, Ornelas said. A small task force, the Dream Center Task Force, is currently working to find adequate funding and space on campus for the center.
Although Ornelas said Hancock officials were informed this month that they were not awarded a $125,000 grant, students and staff are determined to make the project work–and Ornelas said she’s confident that Hancock’s campus will be home to a Dream Center soon.
Frankie Maldonado, a sophomore and president of Hancock’s Associated Student Body Government (ASBG), said ASBG recently passed a resolution supporting the Dream Center efforts.
Maldonado said undocumented students face so many challenges others don’t–without a Social Security number, they can’t get jobs, he said, and without jobs, they can’t pay for college–and resources can be difficult to find.
“So having a place for undocumented students that supports them would be so great,” Maldonado said.
Staff Writer Kasey Bubnash writes School Scene each week. Information can be sent to the Sun via mail, fax, or email at mail@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jul 26 – Aug 2, 2018.
