“You know, an immigrant is just someone who used to be somewhere else.”
— Russell Brand, Comedian
Each year, millions of students graduate from American high schools. Among the large mass of these ambitious graduates 65,000 are undocumented (Best Colleges). Undocumented students are foreign nationals who came to the US without legal documentation or overstayed their visas. Many of these students are apprehensive about their future and are unaware of their fate in college due to their legal status. Concerns related to housing, fear of deportation, fear of stigma and shame, low incomes and a general sense of isolation can contribute to the increasing stress levels for these young, impressionable minds. In many communities these students are neglected and marginalized. UC Berkeley, however, is aware of these students’ and their parents’ anxieties and annually admits numerous such undocumented students. Cal’s primary resource for these students is the Undocumented Student Program (USP), which allows them to feel at home and flourish academically in this diverse and liberal environment.
“For many the word undocumented amalgamates to illegal, it equals to you don’t belong.”
— Meng So, Director of Undocumented Student Program, UC Berkeley
The USP began in 2010 after a group of students and staff from the UC Berkeley Immigrant Student Issues Coalition (ISIC) advocated for immigrant support and services on campus and forwarded recommendations to former UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert J. Birgineau. Elise Haas supported the initiative, and her magnanimous donation and vision helped establish the Robert D. Haas Dreamer’s Resource Center for undocumented students in the fall of 2012.
“In my experience no group faces more challenges than undocumented students.”
— Robert J. Birgineau, Former UC Berkeley Chancellor
The USP embraces and empowers students sans biases, regardless of their immigration status and place of birth. It is committed to working with universities, governments and associations to support the overall success of undocumented communities across the country. The USP helps bridge the daunting transition from high school to college. It provides personal, professional and academic counseling for undocumented students. They have a full time emotional and mental health counsellor to ensure holistic and stress-free development of these students. Additionally, they have financial services such as emergency grants and documentation aid. Staff at the USP is like family for this community. Two such star individuals are Juan A. Prieto and Prerna Lal.
Prieto, a senior majoring in English at Berkeley, is the Social Media Coordinator at the USP. An undocumented student himself, Prieto feels responsible for supporting equity and the undocumented community at Cal. He is the Berkeley representative for the UC undocumented student coalition and believes that the USP is the primary reason for him to be at the university. “USP is more than a resource; it is a family away from home.”
Prerna Lal is the Immigration Attorney at the USP. Lal helps students with immigration documentation and justice system.
“The idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that is wrong with the world.”
— Paul Farmer, Co-founder of Partners in Health organization
