Emely arrived from her native El Salvador four years ago and despite not having documents, she did not stop to attend and complete high school and eventually enroll in Santa Ana College (SAC) in the county of Orange.
Fearful of not knowing the English language well, but eager to get ahead, Emely —whose last name is not provided due to her status— began taking classes for her career in graphic design.
“I am the first in my family to go to university. My goal is to be able to work as a graphic designer and then to be able to buy a house and a car,” said the young woman from 20 years.
Emely said that once she enrolled At school, a counselor helped her connect to the Undocu-Scholars program dedicated to advising students without documents.
“It has benefited me a lot because I was afraid when I entered school, everything It was different. I thought there was going to be no one to help me and that I was going to be alone,” said the young woman. “The staff at the program have been a great help to me; I feel more supported knowing that there are more people with my same situation”.
Emily explained that not only has she learned to get to know the school environment faster , but has also learned to seek financial aid, scholarships and other opportunities available through the workshops they offer.
With different forms of help online and in person, the SAC openly becomes an ally more for undocumented students and their families. Last May the great opening of the Undocu-Scholars Center, a center dedicated to specific interests for students without documents, with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and students living in mixed-status households.
Maribel Pineda, counselor at SAC, said that for four years there has been the Undocu-Scholars program dedicated to providing support to immigrant students who do not have legal documents.
“What is new is that we now have a physical space that will open for the beginning of the fall semester 40 hours a week where any student who is undocumented or has an undocumented family member can enter and receive information,” said Pineda.
Some of the services offered by the Undocu-Scholars program are educational workshops, connecting students with lawyers or pro-organizations. bond that provide legal assistance including renewal of DACA, Advance Parole —to travel outside the country with a special permit— and information on how to know your rights.
In addition, they offer workshops for students who are completely undocumented and want to explore ways to create income such as entrepreneurship opportunities if the youth have an ITIN number; In addition, they offer workshops and events for mental health.
“We take students on walks or simply provide a space to talk about mental health,” said Pineda.
The also coordinator added that mental help is very important especially with the confusing decisions about DACA, including those who qualify, but cannot submit your application.
“Being undocumented creates a lot of anxiety, depression and fear,” said Pineda.
Each semester SAC receives more than 1, students who fall under the category of undocumented immigrants —be they students with DACA, TPS, VAWA, expired visas, among others—, but through the Undocu-Scholars program they could only help about 100 students at the same time.
Of the total of students helped by the program, it is estimated that 100% is latin origin or and the rest of Asian origin.
Now with the center there will be an open door policy where all students interested in receiving advice can come. Even American citizen students who live in mixed households and have doubts can be helped.
The center has a space to study, a microwave oven, refrigerator and will be considered a safe place where students most vulnerable students can feel comfortable away from home.
“When they are filling out the FAFSA (federal financial aid), many Sometimes parents don’t want their kids to submit the form because they say, ‘Are you going to report that I’m working and I shouldn’t be working?’ So that is another capacity with which we can advise”, Pineda said.
He added that a place like this is more important than ever now because the need is high.
“We talk a lot about equity right now, and if we really want to be an equitable campus, having a place where students can go and get clarification on the barriers they face is key to remove their obstacles,” Pineda said.
Students participating in the program are assigned a counselor with whom they they must meet at least once a semester and participate in monthly workshops.
To learn more about the program you can send an email to undocuscholars@sac.edu or transfer_center@sac.edu to schedule a counseling appointment.