Unocumented Student Response

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Recommended: Struggles of undocumented students in higher education

In many ways the articles found regarding undocumented students and their hope to participate in higher education related to the personal responses by both Melissa Brannen and Dr. Sanchez-Samblás. Both the articles and the participant responses seemed to focus on the difficulty that undocumented students have while trying to pursue higher education, and the behavioral/personality differences between undocumented students and students with citizen status. Possibly the biggest connection between the articles and the personal responses is the difficulty that undocumented students face while pursuing higher education. Fear, from both the student and their families was the most noted difficulty that undocumented students face. Noted as a psychosocial-educational …show more content…

Both the participants and articles noted that due to the status of the students, they are not eligible to receive any sort of financial aid through the federal government. Without the financial support towards higher education, undocumented students are typically not able to afford higher education. Beyond financial aid, lies the concern of the paperwork that is often required when applying for higher education institutions. Because these students do not have the documentation that many schools ask for in the application process, many students do not know how to continue. Often times, the family is not a resource that the students can rely on. Both Mrs. Brannen and Dr. Sanchez-Samblás noted that often there is the language barrier that keeps family members from being able to assist students. One of the articles noted the language barrier as well as the unfamiliarity family members have with the process, which was something both Brannen and Sanchez-Samblás …show more content…

First, similarly to what the articles suggest, I think high school guidance counselors should be better advocates for the students and truly provide them guidance that is actually feasible for the situation. Often times when college admission time comes around, guidance counselors provide the most basic of advice and recommendations so that they can help the most people. But if counselors took the time to help undocumented students understand their status and how it affects their journey in higher education, what resources are available, and how to navigate the application process, I feel like the stress and feelings of uncertainty will

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