Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/297225
Helping students like Eduardo fulfill their dreams and navigate the complex web of state and federal laws presents challenges for school employees, says Rosa Marino. "I have 30 students who are undocumented. They want a better life and are willing to work hard." If, as a teenager, you discovered you'd been living in this country illegally, what would you do? Well, you'd be living in fear of deportation. Keeping a low profi le. Wanting to fi ll out the paperwork for college despite worries that it could alert the authorities to relatives living in the country illegally. These are the concerns California DREAMers or undocumented students face on a daily basis. Students like Anthony, Aida, Jose, Selene and Eduardo are dreaming of earning their degree and citizenship. Like other DREAMers, they are no longer willing to live in the shadows. Eduardo is 17, earns top grades, plays varsity sports, and boasts an impres- sive list of extracurriculars that makes him an ideal candidate for any four-year college. But there's one thing he's lacking that causes anxiety about the future. "I don't have a Social Security number," he says. With or without that piece of paper, Eduardo has plenty of dreams. He plans be the fi rst in his family to earn a college degree. "I want to help my father, who has trouble holding a job without docu- mentation." Eduardo moved here from Mex- ico when he was a baby. Through hard work, he has excelled academ- ically and socially. As he grew up, he felt "different" from his friends w h o we re b o r n h e re . S o m e t i m e s his classmates made fun of him for being undocumented. Now just weeks away from gradu- ation at Godinez Fundamental High School in Santa Ana, Eduardo mulls college options. "Everyone should have an equal chance, without obstacles, to go to college," says Eduardo, who is some- what nervous about an interview later in the day regarding a scholarship at a local university. www.cta.org 23 A P R I L 2 0 1 4 Educator 04 Apr 2014 v2.3 int.indd 23 4/15/14 12:04 AM