Jóvenes Inmigrantes Por Un Futuro Mejor (Young Immigrants for a Better Future) was born out of the need for undocumented students to attend college. Prior to 2001, we, the students could not attend college paying in-state tuition. Undocumented students who graduated from high school faced many obstacles, including having to pay international tuition and not being eligible for any financial aid.
Thanks to House Bill 1403, which was authored by State Representative Rick Noriega and passed with the strenuous help of many individuals around the state of Texas, we were allowed to attend college in Texas paying in-state tuition and be eligible for state financial aid. Eleven other states around the country have followed similar laws since, allowing even more students to attend college under the same conditions.
It is important to note that many students around the country are not able to obtain jobs in a “legal” manner; as a result we end up working in low-wage jobs in order to pay for tuition.
The dilemma that we face is what is to happen to our futures in this country. Will we be able to obtain jobs in this country upon our college graduations? The D.R.E.A.M Act is a bipartisan piece of legislation that if passed, it would grant legal residency to all undocumented students.
As many as 65,000 students graduate from high school each year and many do not pursue a college education because of the limitations that prevent them from doing so.
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