Over 65,000 students graduate from U.S. high schools every year,
and the challenge facing most graduates is usually being accepted
into college. But for fourth-year linguistics student, Karla Merino
““ at the time, an undocumented student ““ the challenge
was finding a way to finance her college education.
As an undocumented student for nearly her entire educational
career, Merino has dealt with hardships with which few other
students can relate.
The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act,
pending legislation in Congress, would be a breakthrough for
students like Merino.
The Dream Act offers undocumented students the ability to
receive financial aid and loans. If they have lived in the country
for more than five years, the bill would allow students to apply
for legal residency, helping them attend college and obtain jobs
after they graduate.
Opponents of the Dream Act say if the law is changed to make it
easier for undocumented immigrants to attend state schools, the
community would be hurt. They argue that one legal resident would
have to be turned away for for every non-resident student allowed
into the system.
Opponents have also expressed concern that the bill may open the
door to providing amnesty for all illegal immigrants.
As a senior in high school, Merino had the grades to attend
college, but struggled to find money to pay for her application
fees.
Low-income families are able to receive vouchers, which will pay
for the cost of their applications, but Merino ““ though from
a low-income family ““ was considered a non-resident and was
not able to receive any financial help.
Merino said though she saved money to apply to college and was
accepted to the schools to which she applied. But she had to
decline admission because she would not be able to receive
financial aid.
“AB-540 didn’t exist, and I would have to pay
out-of-state tuition,” Merino said, “I had to go to a
community college instead.”
Assembly Bill-540 was passed by Gov. Gray Davis in 2001,
allowing undocumented students who met specific qualifications to
pay in-state fees at California public universities.
“It was the most difficult year for me at UCLA; if the
economy didn’t get better I would have had to drop
out,” said undocumented alumnus Ricardo Lopez, regarding his
first year at UCLA. “AB-540 saved me.”
Lopez graduated from UCLA last year with a degree in molecular,
cell and developmental biology and a GPA close to 3.5, he said.
Lopez’s family applied for citizenship in 1997, and they
are still waiting for their paperwork to process in the Immigration
and Naturalization Services .
Like Merino, Lopez’s status hindered him from attending
any of the five California universities he was accepted to as a
senior in high school.
Lopez, transferred to UCLA from a community college, and had to
pay out-of-state tuition during his first year.
Merino also attended community college for three years, which
she said she paid for by working 20 to 35 hours a week.
Merino applied for California residency before she graduated
from high school, and waited for over three years before directly
talking to UCLA administration.
An administrator at student affairs told her she could not wait
around all her life, and UCLA would grant her admission if she was
qualified, Merino said.
The community college discouraged Merino from applying to
transfer, but she still applied to UCLA in November 2001, only a
month after AB-540 was passed.
“I decided to apply because of what the administrator told
me. It was more of an encouragement than what I heard on the news.
… Nothing was for sure,” Merino said.
Merino came to UCLA in the fall of 2002, and she will be
graduating this month with a degree in linguistics.
This past February, Merino received her California residency
““ at the end of her college career, and too late to help her
pay for college.
“I was sad when I got my residency. I felt like I had
worked so hard, and I got it right when I accomplished
everything,” Merino said.
Merino and Lopez put a lot into their college careers, but they
both feel that it was worth their efforts.
“I would do it again if I had to, despite the fact that I
can’t gain employment,” Lopez said, “I grew as an
individual. … I gained wisdom about life.”
Though Lopez struggled to finance his own education, he sees the
Dream Act as a way to benefit other undocumented students.
“The Dream Act will help students in my situation achieve
their dreams,” Lopez said. “Financing our education
permeates every other issue in our lives.”
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., has strongly supported the
Dream Act throughout its development
“I believe it has the necessary safeguards to ensure that
the relief provided to qualifying students will not serve as a
magnet for future illegal immigration,” Feinstein said in an
email.
Students at UCLA showed their support for the Dream Act at a
rally on campus Wednesday.
Until the Dream Act passes, students like Merino and Lopez
promise to continue to fight for it.
“There are so many great opportunities, but we can’t
take advantage of them,” Lopez said. “It is like a
Spanish song called “˜Jail With Golden Bars,’ which is
exactly what we are in.”