Only ten of the hundred undocumented students will graduate from college, only four will graduate with a graduate or professional degree, and less than one student will receive a doctorate (Hubee & Malagon, 2007). This is due to the fact that the number of resources available for both undocumented students and DREAMers is limited. The current public and political rhetoric surrounding undocumented students and Dreamers are overwhelming. Different barriers have been placed on undocumented students pursuing higher education. Understanding those barriers can increase the rate of undocumented students graduating college and getting a professional degree. This event is going to bring awareness to the different resources available for students while creating a safe place at Saint Xavier University. I understand the struggle of pursuing higher education as an undocumented student. Although there have been many challenges I had to overcome due to the 2016 Presidency and the overall political system of this country. I aim to help students in the same situation as me throughout this event. This event is not only going to bring awareness to this issue, but it is also going to offer students different scholarships and job opportunities.
Throughout the planning process, there were many challenges that at some point made it difficult for the event to run smoothly. The original goal for the event was to have different organizations that offered resources for undocumented students outside of Saint Xavier University be part of the event. Seven different organizations were contacted but only one responded. After a month of waiting for a response, I started contacting organizations within Saint Xavier asking if they would like to be part of this event.
In order to still make sure that students were still learning about the different resources available to them. I have created an Instagram account called Dare to Dream Chicago that posted weekly updates on the event, scholarships, grants, and job opportunities open for both Dreamers and Undocumented students. Creating this account allowed me to target a higher audience outside Saint Xavier University. This was also a good opportunity to start promoting the event as the day got closer.
The last part of this event was the mini fundraiser. As mentioned earlier, receiving financial support as a Dreamer is difficult due to the lack of scholarships available. During the event, there was a selection where the people who attended were able to buy traditional Mexican snacks. The money for the snacks was a donation from a local business in Little Village. The money raised during this event will be donated to a nonprofit organization that supports dreamers and undocumented students or undocumented students who plan on pursuing higher education.
T he planning of this event was difficult but it made me realize that there are many students who are afraid to ask for help. This event created a safe place for undocumented students and Dreamers at Saint Xavier. SXU Unidos is now partnering with SXU Monarcas and Student Support in order to ensure students are getting the resources they need to continue their education. Something I would have done differently is finding a better way to get in contact with organizations.
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