Ignoring the governor's veto of last year, a legislator has again introduced the California Dream Act, which would provide state financial aid for students who enter into the U.S. illegally.
Authored by state Sen. Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, the bill would give foreign students access to the state's Cal Grant program, scholarship programs they are not currently eligible for, and aid from individual schools.
The students would still be ineligible for federal loans, which are the main source of college financing for most students.
"There have been so many studies showing the benefit of an educated work force that many minds have been changed," says Cedillo. "Plus the governor is no longer in an election year, so he does not have to appear to be as tough on immigration."
When Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill last year, he argued that it would take away resources from American students who wanted financial aid. It's a concern the governor still has, said spokesman H.D. Palmer.
"If the bill were to come in the same form as it did last year, it is likely the governor will take the same action on it this year," he said.
Carole Durante of the California State Aid Commission, which supports the Dream Act, says that she believes that the state's need-based Cal Grant program can support more students than it does now.
Being allowed to receive Cal Grants would be great relief to Montserrat Espejel, a 19-year-old sophomore at Cal State Los Angeles.
"I would be able to afford to go for my master's degree at a better school, like USC," says Espejel, who works at a fast food restaurant 32 hours a week to help pay her tuition. It was the only place that would hire her without legal documentation to work, she said.
Espejel entered the country illegally when she was 10 months old. She grew up in East L.A., and later moved to Monterey Park.
It wasn't until she turned 15 that she realized that her life was going to be different from her friends'.
"My friends started getting their driving licenses, and I went to enroll in driver's ed classes and people started to tell me I couldn't get my license," said Espejel.
The difficulties continued when she started to apply to college. Espejel was attending a private prep school, and many of her classmates were getting into the prestigious schools such as UC Berkeley and UCLA.
But she quickly realized that without financial aid, she needed to go to a school with lower tuition costs.
Estimates from information from CSU, the UC system and the community college system indicate that there are more than 4,000 illegal students in public California schools.
Some private scholarships from organizations like the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund are available to illegal students.
Although passing the California Dream Act would help their financial situation immeasurably, for some students it would still not give them too much hope for the future.
"To have financial aid right now it would release a lot of stress, but without legalization I don't know what I am going to be able to do with my degree," says Teresa, a Mt. San Antonio College student who preferred to be identified by her middle name.
Teresa, a 19-year-old freshman, has been in the country since she was two years old, but she cannot legally work here. She would like to work as a clinical psychologist someday, but for now the only place that will employ her is a fast food restaurant, which she prefers not to name.
Though she has hopes that someday her chances at employment in the U.S. will change, she says the only chance she may have to work once she graduates might be in Mexico.
"I could see myself going back there if I had to, but I'm not sure whether I would like it there or not," says Teresa. "I've always lived here ... it's my home."
The bill is now being held in the Senate Appropriations Committee where its fate will be decided by the end of the week.Labels: academy awards, career training, education online, financial aid, free education, high school, scholarship, student loans, study abroad |
