Contributed photo
Machado.
Tashi Sanchez dreamed of being a teacher since she was 8 years old.
Just a few months before she was set to graduate college with an early childhood education (ECE) degree, that dream was cut short.
Norwalk Community College requires students in their last semester of the ECE program to take a class called “Student Teaching,” where they put into practice all they have learned. The only problem?
“I found I couldn’t take it because you had to give your fingerprints,” Sanchez said. “I couldn’t get fingerprinted because I’m undocumented.”
That is just one example of the many obstacles undocumented students throughout the nation face when trying to get an education, Sanchez said. According to a Connecticut Students for a Dream press release, these obstacles include a “lack of financial assistance, internalized self doubt, as well as balancing school and family responsibilities.”
To recognize students facing those struggles, Sanchez and Danilo Machado, who are both members of Connecticut Students for a Dream, are helping organize the group’s first “UndocuGrad” Ball Celebration this Saturday, July 23.
The event will celebrate undocumented students who have graduated from high school and college as well as raise funds for scholarships for undocumented students in Connecticut.
“It’s not uncommon for undocumented students to not be able to continue college or have longer and longer college journeys than some folks,” Machado said. “It makes it that much more a big deal that folks are graduating.”
Between seven and 10 students will be recognized at the event, which will feature food, refreshments, and a silent auction.
Machado is one of those students. Originally from Colombia, Machado and his family immigrated to Stamford in 2000. He has lived in the city ever since. He graduated from University of Connecticut’s commuter campus in Stamford this spring with a major in English and a minor in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies.
He said he struggled semester by semester to make ends meet and pay for tuition, often having to attend school part-time in order to hold a job at the same time. But Machado noted that attending college would have been much harder — in fact, unthinkable — had Connecticut not passed a law in 2011 that allowed undocumented students to qualify for in-state tuition prices.
“It was definitely the reason why I was able to finish school, for sure,” Machado said. But, he added, “There’s still a knowledge gap that might be there or it might not be possible even with the state tuition.”
Another major problem students face, Machado said, is thinking that college is “not an option for them.”
“One of the myths that we still have to work to debunk is that students who are undocumented are barred from college, and that’s not the case,” Machado said.
Nationwide, only 1 to 3 percent of undocumented students graduate from college, a statistic only somewhat higher for high school graduates.
“We both realized there were so many graduates in our group this summer, and we thought, ‘That’s kinda awesome!’” Sanchez said. “It was a really big deal to us to see that and knowing the statistics and how difficult it is to to honor that fact [with the celebration.]”
The event will also function as a fundraiser in order to establish more scholarships for undocumented students. Last year, the group was able to provide two scholarships to students attending college, a number organizers hope to increase this year.
Tickets for the UndocuGrad Ball can be purchased here and start at $35. Larger donations can be made to cover the cost of up to one class at a Connecticut state university.
