Giving Compass' Take:
- Community college and university resource centers can help create supportive pathways for undocumented students (Dreamers) trying to graduate.
- How can resource centers help boost educational equity among students with little to no assistance navigating higher education systems?
- Get more resources on education topics here.
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Among the multiple groups of struggling students in America, the undocumented live in the shadows, awaiting recognition and assistance.
In California, multiple universities and community colleges have dream resource centers to provide support to help undocumented students navigate and find financial aid, career advancement, legal and mental health services.
The centers help set students up for success by encouraging them to feel they are part of a school community and of society as a whole.
Students can meet with counselors and educational advisers via Zoom or in person by appointment or drop-in sessions. And dream centers partner with legal support teams that typically include a paralegal assistant and an accredited immigration attorney and offer free legal screenings and help with DACA applications and renewals, citizenship applications and family petitions.
This is essential aid for many undocumented students as they transition into higher education.
It was for us: We educated ourselves about laws, policies and support systems through the help of these centers.
Without these designated resource centers, information on policies that save undocumented students a lot of time, worry and money — such as the policy that allows students who attended a California high school for three years to have access to in-state tuition — would be largely unknown.
Without these designated resource centers, information on policies that save undocumented students a lot of time, worry and money — such as the policy that allows students who attended a California high school for three years to have access to in-state tuition — would be largely unknown.
More than 427,000 undocumented students are enrolled in higher education, and more than 94,000 are enrolled in California’s colleges and universities. Nationally, of those enrolled, about 19 percent are in private colleges, such as the University of Southern California, and 90 percent are in undergraduate programs. Fewer undocumented students seek graduate degrees because there are less resources available to them.
Read the full article about resource centers on college campuses by Maria Molina and Vianey Valdez at The Hechinger Report.