Undocumented high school students who want to attend college have support in Illinois

During a recent school night at Mansueto High School in In the back yardscollege recruiters across Illinois have addressed an unexpected audience – one whose members have every reason to believe college isn’t for them. The event was the sixth annual college fair hosted by the Noble Schools charter network specifically for undocumented students.

“It’s very friendly because universities say, ‘Yes, come to us, we’ve got you. We will help you pay for it. We will provide you with scholarships. We will build this club,” says Brisa Angel, a college counselor, as she observes her students’ conversations with recruiters. “It’s one thing to see it on a piece of paper: ‘OK, these are your options.’ And it’s a completely different thing to go to a trade show and talk to people who say, “Yes, we have these resources.”

Kevin Guzman, a student at ITW David Speer Academy on the West Side, says before the event that he questioned whether college was possible for him because of his immigration status.

“At first I was going to join the army because I thought it would be the easiest option. (…) I was going to get citizenship and make a lot of money,” says Guzman. “Now I look at these colleges here and think, ‘OK, maybe Maybe there is a chance for me.”

For years, undocumented students have been told in various ways that they are not suitable for college. They do not have access to federal financial aid, and in most states they must pay out-of-state tuition without the help of state grants.

But in Illinois, undocumented students do better shot when getting into college and paying for it. The state is one of 19 where undocumented students can apply for state funds and one of 25 where they pay tuition at state rates.

Equally important is a network of adults working overtime to help these students navigate the paperwork maze and find a campus where they can get the support they need to succeed. In this network is Angel, who was once an undocumented high school student dreaming of college.

Her efforts come amid rising tuition costs and student debt, and more Americans questioning the value of college. Questionnaire published in July by Gallup found that nearly a third of Americans have little or no confidence in higher education.

But the work of Angel and advocates for undocumented students across the state is to reject skepticism about colleges — from one of the communities that has the least access to them.

“College is not the only path to success. It’s true,” says Aidé Acosta, chief academic advisor for the Noble network. “But do we tell all children this? Or do we only say this to black and brown children? Because I do not want to revive gender and racial stereotypes in our communities, these studies are not possible for them.”

Acosta, who was once undocumented, said her parents did not have college degrees and had to work long hours in physically demanding jobs. She says they wanted something different for her.

“We often talk to students who are just learning what their status means for the first time and feel hopeless,” he says. “And I always remind them that education is the one thing… that no one can take away from you, no matter where you are in life, in the world.”

It’s something students can hold on to, he says, when so many things – including their legal status in this country – are out of their reach.