Hey wuts up!?!?
 

So im really glad a site like this exists... My name is Lorena n i live in Cary IL. Im gonna be a senior this year and I want to become an engineer, but like most of you, a lot of my career plans depend on the dream act. It really sucks! See where I live, its mostly white populated so Im a mexican roamin with white friends who have no idea that i am illegal. I never really gave it much thought until I took drivers ed and found out that I couldnt get my license. After that Ive been even more and more worried of what my future will bring. I have some questions to any of you that might be from IL... I really want to g2 Univ of IL in Champaign but do I have to pay out of state tuition? If thats the case Im going to have a really hard time going there. Anyways, Im pretty sure all of you have similar stories so i dont need to mope about mine cuz you guys probably have it just as bad. I would really like to be able to talk with all of you, bc I feel really alone. My parents have hopes and dreams about me going to college and everything, but they dont really realize how big of obstacles there exist. I keep all my worries to myself and it just gets overwhelming. Like a couple weeks ago... I applied for a job at Jiffy Lube and got it. I thought I was safe but after 2 days of going for training I got a call from the manager telling me that my name didnt match my social. Of course it didnt bc it doesnt even exist! i thought That night I cried my eyes out. I couldnt even keep a job at Jiffy Lube, what are the chances of me getting one as an engineer. I made my parents feel horrible. They told me how they came here thinking of me, for a better lifestyle and a brighter future, never giving second thoughts on how they got me here. They asked me if I thought wut they did was right.. Of course it was, but it hurts to know that I cant accomplish that because they came here illegally in the 1st place. After that I try not to talk about my plans for college with them because I dont want to upset them, but its always on my mind... Wow, I just blabbed some more about myself... Well yea mainly I just want to talk to other people like myself, so i know im not alone
So please anyone get back to me, hre or email me at [email protected]

Hey Lorena... I'm from NW burbs of IL too! I wish I would've known that IL provided in-state tuition 4 years ago when I went to college. Somehow I did get quite a big scholarship from the school I attended which helped a lot, but it was a private university. I tried applying to state schools, but they always asked to see a copy of my green card... so I really had no choice but to attend a private school.

Definitely do some research on it. And I hope you do get to attend and get a degree in engineering... if you are looking at engineering schools, Bradley University, the school I went to has a pretty good program and they might even give you a scholarship. A lot of the people I knew received scholarships so there's a good chance you will too if you exceled in high school.

Some more questions...
 

Hey so I really wanna go 2 college and all but is it really worth it if i cant get a job afterwards??? What happened to you guys dat did gradute from college?? Did you find jobs, or what r u doin now? Again im looking foward 2 ur replies....

glad u r not blaming your parents because they did the best they could.
welcome to the forum and jiffy lube can kiss all our asses, lol!

Ok so besides the scholarships, how did you guys pay for school???

What happens after should be dealt with later. I think we all think that but its easier on you to just take it step by step. I am currently in legal process to get become a legal citizen and have been waiting for over 7 years now therefore my petition is pretty much closing in and almost time. There was times when I thought "and what am I gong to do after I finish school and not have a ssn yet?" I came to the conclusion that I will survive just like I have been doing for the past 10. I am now 23 but I have been holding jobs from age 13! Therefore working and attending school at the same time is no news for me. YOu gotta step up and take care of school because regardless of how long it takes for you to get your legal permanent residence here regardless of how you do it, you will have an education and that, nobody can take away from you. Keep it up and dont feel lonely because we are all in this together and there are thousands of us out there

Once again, well said 8.valenzuela.

As for me, I agree with 8.valenzuela, you got to take it step by step. I did. So, yeah, it's nearly impossible to find a job after college b/c of our situation. What did I do? I continued with my education, i'm in grad school. Regardless of what you do, you just have to keep doing something. What am I going to do after grad school? I don't know yet. I really want to get a PhD, but if that is not possible at the moment, I'll take some classes in computer skills (God knows I need them, lol), anything to keep my mind fresh!

Hello, Loday927! I graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign last year. Illinois does grant in-state tuition to those students who meet certain residency qualifications. If you have any questions about the school, please don't hesitate to ask me. I'm glad you found this site, and I encourage you to please check out our "Taking Action" section to see what you can do to make the DREAM Act a reality!