An “interactive” training program aimed at supporting undocumented students is being utilized by students and staff at Rutgers University.
Pioneered at New York University, the “DREAM Zone” program deals with subjects such as legislation that affects DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) students, and the history of migration to the United States.
As reported by The Daily Targum, another aspect of the training involves “check[ing] how people talk about” the undocumented community on social media.
The Rutgers effort, led by education professor Ariana Mangual Figueroa and education grad student Viviana Siles-Osejo, at one point partnered up attendees to discuss issues such as “What does the American dream mean to you?” A provided handout defined “Americanism” as “an articulation of the ideology, traditions, culture and customs of what is perceived to be ‘American.’”
Another part of the training “elaborated on New Jersey’s recent legislative efforts to give certain undocumented students eligibility to apply for in-state financial aid.”
In an email to The College Fix, article author Abner Bonilla said the social media “checking” entails things like noting “not all DACA recipients are geniuses like we often hear about in the media,” and that “DACA recipients reflect a diverse population of students from all backgrounds.”
“Some grind their way through community college and pay it through working various jobs while others win scholarships to pay for their tuition,” Bonilla said. “So the ‘check’ would be to understand who DACA recipients are […] To speak about them not like unicorns who are all valedictorians at top schools, but fellow Americans who, more often than not, struggle and grind to succeed and pay for college.”
“I think trainings like these are important to start conversations about how to begin supporting undocumented students in institutions, especially for people who are going into higher education,” said Yuriana Garcia Tellez, the senior program coordinator of undocumented student services who was also in attendance. “The training should be mandatory.”
Garcia Tellez said a short documentary-style video that was shown as part of the training also allowed participants to see who a DACA recipient is. The video followed undocumented students at NYU who immigrated from Asia and South America and struggle to find the money to pay for college.
She said that it is important to give the recipients a face, because it humanizes them and allows others to connect and empathize with them.
“I feel like there’s not that many trainings like this offered at many institutions, so I learned to be more of an advocate for other students,” said Rachel Sawyer, a first-year student in the Graduate School of Education.
Sawyer said although she identifies as a Black woman, she appreciated the training because it allowed her to learn the laws and history of other students of color.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, there are more than 500 DACA students at Rutgers’ various campuses.
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