“Growing up I always knew I was from Mexico but I didn’t know what undocumented meant. It wasn’t until high school that I realized…,” said Luis Luna, a member of California State University of Long Beach’s (CSULB) For Undocumented Empowered Leaders (FUEL) Club.
A panel of students from CSULB’s FUEL Club were warmly received by a crowd of students on Monday, answering questions about a variety of topics, from university life, making connections, and advocacy work as undocumented student leaders.
Luis Luna, Jafet Ortega, and Althea Roble were all members of the panel, sharing their varying experiences living, working, and studying as undocumented students.
Founded in 2007, FUEL was originally called the AB 540 Club with AB 540 being the code designated to the California Nonresident Tuition Exemption act, which allowed many eligible noncitizens in California to attend and pay tuition to the state’s public universities.
It was a club meant to advocate for undocumented students on campus and it was them that advocated for the creation of the DREAM Center at CSULB.
Jafet Ortega, a student leader of FUEL, spoke about the importance of getting involved on campus, especially as an undocumented student. “If you put in the time you can find a community that can help you grow professionally and personally.”
“It’s about getting the opportunity to grow and build your resume, if you’re looking for a space to find friends or grow professionally just put yourself out there,” said Luna, building on the idea of college being a place for growth, regardless of status. “If you try to build that community, you’ll find someone, just reach out.”
“It’s not just about growing your resume but getting to know people, being there, being out there, being present…rather than think ‘I should just retreat,’” said Roble.
All three panelists are also community college transfer students and commented on the idea of “transfer imposter syndrome” which is defined as the feeling of inadequacy one may experience in a situation where they feel they don’t belong.
“I definitely had that feeling,” said Luna.
Roble concurred with Luna. “Sometimes I feel like I don’t deserve things because of my situation…but there is hope for everyone,” he said.
“It just takes the resilience and willpower to keep going,” said Ortega in addition.
Panelists also fielded questions from the audience, giving sincere and in depth answers to student’s queries.
Oliver Martinez, an LBCC student, asked “How do you balance working and school as an undocumented student?”
“It is hard,” said Roble. “Sometimes you just have to make sacrifices.”
She also explained that in her younger years as a student at Saint Mary’s College she took advantage of essay scholarships, at times relying on them to sustain herself in times where work was difficult to find. “They have the money, so take it!”
“It’s also important to remember you have to take care of yourself first,” said Ortega. “You can’t succeed if you’re not.”
Another student asked about the relationship the three had to the label “undocumented” and how it has changed over time to the point where they are now, as vocal members within a dedicated club for their identity.
“I didn’t start identifying as undocumented until the end of high school,” said Ortega. “But because I was in spaces where it was ok to identify that way…I felt safe. There is still that fear sometimes when talking to staff and faculty but a lot of the times, they’re there to learn from me about my experiences.”
Roble shared an anecdote from her younger years, wherein applying for a job, she disclosed her status as an AB 540 student.
“I told them I was AB 540 and they were like ‘What’s that?’ … I had to explain what it was,” Roble said.
“Now I can say undocumented…but when I was in high school I never thought I would be in this situation…I wasn’t ever the one to say I’m AB 540, or say ‘Hey I want to hang out more with undocumented students’…I also didn’t want the pity of ‘Oh you’re undocumented.’”
“It’s been kind of weird,” said Luna while explaining the various stages of his acceptance of the label.
“It was weird applying to colleges …when I was introduced to the DREAMERS club, I thought it was crazy, like ‘y’all are just saying you’re undocumented?’ But that’s what made me feel more comfortable.”
Roble added another comment. “It really depends too,” she said. “Talking to your peers versus talking to a professor…you get scared telling them your situation and them maybe blaming you for all these things…”
To close off the panel they were asked about the importance of creating a community voice for undocumented students in higher education.
“You either voice your concerns or you end up regretting it,” said Roble.