DREAMer Newsletter Vol.1 No.1

DREAMer will Attend State of the Union Address

Julieta Garibay is the DREAM Educational Empowerment Program Coordinator for United We Dream (UWD) and was invited to attend the president’s State of the Union Address as a guest of Congressman Marc Veasey (D) of Texas.

Moving to the U.S. at the age of 12 from Mexico City Julieta lived in Texas for 20 years before moving to D.C. She was among the first beneficiaries of Texas’ in-state tuition law and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and a Master’s in Public Health Nursing. She’s been a licensed registered nurse in Texas since 2004. Due to her undocumented status and being aged out of Deferred Action her ability to work as a nurse is restricted.

Julieta is one of the most visible leaders of the DREAM Act movement in the country. Her story has been featured in TIME magazine, the Wall Street Journal and shared by Senator Durbin on the Senate Floor. Read more here.

California Dream Act Deadline

The deadline to apply for the CA DREAM Act is March 2, 2013. This group of applicants will be the first to take full advantage of the Cal Grants offered by AB131 to pay for Cal States and Universities, and the Board of Governor’s (BOG) waiver which could cover 100% of costs for community colleges. Go to http://www.csac.ca.gov/dream_act.asp
to apply.
Note: Undocumented students who have their Social Security Numbers through Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) do NOT put a Social Security number in the CA DREAM Act application. It is unnecessary and may confuse the system. Leave it blank.

Workshop: Next Wednesday, 2/20/13 at 3:00pm, Warren H.S. in Downey will be holding a CA DREAM Act workshop in their computer lab. Contact Ms. Marci Vasquez at mvasquezfunk@dusd.net for more information.

Coming out of the Shadows

March is national coming out month. How will your campus celebrate this event? Many put on rallies where undocumented students “come out” and share their stories publicly.

Invite us to your next Dreamer club meeting to conduct a Story of Self/Story of Arrival workshop. Our individual stories are the most powerful tool we have for affecting positive change towards the undocumented community. The workshop will help refine these stories and give students the tools to be “undocumented and unafraid.” Reply to this newsletter to schedule your workshop.

Superbowl Ad Defines America

Like most people you may have watched the Superbowl just for the ads. This ad by Jose Antonio Vargas and his Define American campaign appeared before the game in most markets. Jose Antonio Vargas is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and declared himself to be undocumented. He will be making Southland appearances at Cal State Northridge and USC. Both events are free but require registration. See the Superbowl ad here.
Read Jose’s full story My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant.

Featured DREAMer

Claudia Retamoza, a senior at Warren HS in Downey, recently appeared in the school’s drama production of The Miracle Worker playing Helen Keller.

Coming to the U.S. at age 1 Claudia is one of the founding members of the Warren HS IDEAS club. She would like to pursue community college in Utah upon graduating, but her decision not to directly attend a four year university is related to her undocumented status. Thinking she couldn’t attend college or get a job after seeing her older siblings struggle with both she didn’t take a required lab science course knocking her off an A-G tract.

Her goal in founding the Warren IDEAS club is so that beginning in their freshman year every undocumented student will know college is possible.Read her full story here.

Have a DREAMer or ally doing great things you’d like to share?
Tell us about them here.

Calendar

2/20/13 Wednesday 3:00p
CA DREAM Act workshop at Warren HS in Downey, CA. mvasquezfunk@dusd.net

2/22/13 Friday 3:30p-6:00p
Undocu-power: Know Your Rights Training.
Chuco’s Justice Center 1137 E. Redondo Blvd., Inglewood, CA 90302

2/24/13 Sunday 6:00p-8:00p
“Life After DACA” hosted by Orange County Dream Team, 13252 Garden Grove Blvd., Garden Grove, CA 92841
– Getting your SS#
– Driver’s Licenses in CA
– Workplace rights
– Transferring your credit History
– What to do with your existing ITIN
– Health Care in CA
– Giving your new SS# to your employer/school
– Financial aid in CA

2/26/13 Tuesday 4:00p
Bringing a Divided Nation Together to Discuss Immigration with Jose Antonio Vargas.
Cal State Northridge, Northridge Center.

2/27/13 Wednesday 7:00p
An Evening with Jose Antonio Vargas.
USC Campus Center Grand Ballroom.

Undocu-Trivia

You are often told to remember a famous city in this state that was the first to offer in-state tuition for undocumented students. Name the state, year, and governor who signed the nation’s first in-state tuition law.
Send your answer here.