OC Register: Illegal and smart? Education can continue
LInk to the article: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/n...-students-says
Quote:
She was your typical American teen student, studying hard, getting A's and striving to achieving the American dream.<br />
Her parents had always promoted education as a way of succeeding in life, so, in her mind, college was never a question. And long before she began applying to colleges, she bought a UCLA sweater, cherishing the thought of one day stepping onto the Los Angeles campus as a student.
There was just one hurdle. "Natalia" always knew she was an undocumented student, but she considered herself no different from her peers. That is, until she became a high school sophomore. (Per Orange County Register policy I am not using Natalia's real name so that I can report on her situation without impacting her legal status).
But about the time she turned 16, in her sophomore year at Laguna Beach High School – a place where she ran track and was a cheerleader – Natalia realized her legal status would be a barrier to her future. She couldn't get a driver's license. And, critically, she couldn't get a social security number, something that cut her off from much needed student loans and other forms of financial aid.
"It was hard. I felt like I couldn't talk about it…. It's like I'm here, but I'm not really here, like I'm not part of America," says Natalia who was 5 when her parents brought her illegally to the United States from Guerrero, Mexico.
Every year, about 65,000 undocumented students graduate from American high schools. Some are valedictorians or National Merit Scholars. More often, they are kids dreaming about and working toward college and, after that, solid careers. But because of their residency status, many of those potential doctors or lawyers or entrepreneurs wind up working in our vast underground economy.
And that, says UCLA professor Kent Wong, is a huge waste.
"For us to relegate them to an underground life, in the underground economy, is not only shortsighted and irrational, it harms society as a whole," says Wong, who teaches, among other things, labor studies, and is director of the UCLA Downtown Labor Center.
As an example, Wong sites a graduate he knows who earned a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree in international relations, but now works as a janitor.
"They're so determined, and so dedicated to getting their education," Wong says. "These are precisely the people who can make a contribution to society."
To that end, some members of Congress are pushing what's known as the D.R.E.A.M. Act, an idea first floated in 2001, which would give undocumented students a pathway to legalization on the condition that the student meets certain requirements. On Monday, UCLA students launched what they called "D.R.E.A.M. Action Week" to raise awareness for the federal bill, which was reintroduced in March.
Among those participating at UCLA will be Natalia.
When she was 16, and a sophomore, and she couldn't get a social security number because of her legal status, she let her grades slip. She thought she had no future. But then she learned about a California law, AB 540, which allows undocumented students who qualify to pay in-state college tuition. And that, she said, made her decide to push harder to complete her education.
It took time. After high school, Natalia attended community college. Then she took time off school to work and save tuition money. But last spring, Natalia was accepted into UCLA, she was finally able to walk on campus and put on the school sweater she'd bought so long ago.
She's a UCLA student still, at age 26, and a member of the student support group called "Improving Dreams Equality Access and Success" (www.ideasla.org), which is part of a growing national student movement working to garner support for the D.R.E.A.M. Act.
Obviously, many people believe undocumented students don't deserve any help because they are here illegally. But there is growing bipartisan support for the bill in Congress, as well as support from some business people and educators who believe these students shouldn't be penalized for their legal status, says Wong.
In our global economy this support makes sense. The students working with Natalia to raise awareness on the issue come from Southeast Asia, the Middle East and from Latin America. They're multilingual and educated. But, for many, without the D.R.E.A.M. Act, their talents could be wasted or developed in other countries.
Natalia wants to be a lawyer. But unless the law changes, life after law school will mean she'll remain part of the underground economy. Still, she hopes that her professional dream also will be realized.
"It was during my senior year that I said 'No, my immigration status is not going to be what's going to stop me'," says Natalia.
"I'm going to keep going forward."
