Creativity and community took center stage at the Makerspace in South Annex #4 on Oct. 16, where students gathered to craft bracelets during Undocumented Student Action Week, a celebration of empowerment, inclusion, and self-expression.
I might not have been able to make my own bracelet, but I was able to learn why this event happened this week and much more. Students who are undocumented face all sorts of challenges socially, monetarily and more when attending college for the first time. Undocumented students have all types of worries on their minds that documented students have to not think about.
Undocumented Student Action Week ensures that these dreamers do not forget any financial resources they might not have known about and that they are the best selves they can be while pursuing their academic goals. Jose Simo, a counselor working at the Dream Resource Center, will next provide some vital information regarding Undocumented Student Action Week.
Throughout the state of California, 115 community colleges, if all of us are participating, which I think most of us are, are celebrating Undocumented Student Week of Action, and it’s put together by the California Community College System. “The goal is to get all colleges to promote awareness about AB 540 which is the state law that allows students to dream, our students, undocumented students, to come to school and pay in state, in state, tuition.” Simo said.
The week does not end with financial events. The aforementioned Craft a Custom Bracelet event brings fun to the week for a bigger purpose overall.
“It’s more like a fun activity, but also builds community. And that’s the important part of it, not the bracelets. It’s building community and connecting.” Simo adds.
Community is a big goal for the week. Its goal is to let undocumented students know they are not alone when they see the community they can connect to, and that it is ready to embrace them for who they are.
“I don’t have to feel like I’m alone or I’m the only one in this situation. I can make friends, or, they get me because they’ve been there. A lot of times there’s a lot of fear involved with being undocumented and coming out of the shadows.” Simo said.
There was also a CODtalk on Wednesday of Undocumented Student Action Week. This talk was most explicit about making sure everyone who attended the event knew every resource they could have access to for their school and well-being. This CODtalk represented what Undocumented Student Action Week stands for as a whole.
The speakers of the talk let students know of college tours, free therapy sessions and all sorts of tests that you might need offered at the Craven Student Services Center. Remember to talk to your counselors as they are for you to use. You can get free books for the semester and tutoring from your peers. So many more services and programs were mentioned in the CODtalk. An excellent place to check out is the Dreamer Resource Center.
This week is a big help for undocumented students to go above where they think they can go. Undocumented Student Week was organized by the Dreamer Resource Center.
