As a child, Elena Calderon picked fruit to help support her family. Now she helps undocumented students speak out about barriers to education
A helicopter loomed over Elena Calderon’s dad as he cradled his baby girl, crouching underneath a bush, hoping to avoid the patrol’s keen eye. Her father continued to cradle her as he ran through the desert toward the United States border.
That was 22 years ago.
Calderon, now a graduate student in the Master of Communications Program at Eastern Washington University (ewu), advocated for undocumented students to further their education at a conference at Everett Community College in October.
“That memory when I was 3 years old, and how my family refused to give up, ignited change,” said Calderon.
A small farm-working girl raised in Mattawa, Wash., Calderon disliked picking cherries at 5, but she had to help her family of seven earn a living. She never understood the implication of her status as an undocumented student until she got to high school.
When she applied for jobs and scholarships, applications required a Social Security number and proof of citizenship. Calderon wasn’t able to fill them out.
Back in 2003, the Washington State Legislature approved HB 1079. The historic act allowed certain undocumented students who lived in Washington state for at least three years and graduated from a state high school or earned a GED to be considered as “residents” for purposes of higher education.
There are only 13 states that have passed laws allowing undocumented students to qualify for in-state tuition at public colleges and universities, according to Educators For Fair Consideration.
“There wasn’t much help for undocumented students at the University of Washington,” said Yuriana Garcia, coordinator of Leadership Without Borders and creator of the group Beyond HB 1079, which allocates resources for undocumented students. The group sponsored the October event where Calderon.
Beyond HB 1079 began as a group of people with the mission of providing an open safe space for undocumented students, parents and educators. The conference is a student-run event orga nized by colleges, high school students and dedicated community members who work together with the common goal of advancing and providing educational opportunities for all students, regardless of citizenship.
"My goal is to get undocumented people to share their story." --Elena Calderon
“When I was in my second year at the UW, I began a conference for undocumented students to be aware of their resources, and the first conference was meant for about 40 individuals but over 200 showed up,” Garcia said.
This was a stepping stone toward providing resources for undocumented students.
A program called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (daca) allows certain undocumented students who entered the country before their 16th birthday, and before June 2007, to receive a renewable work permit and an exemption from deportation.
“Before I received daca and began work, I had this feeling where I couldn’t do anything with my life after graduating college because there were so many doors closed,” Calderon said.
Once students are considered residents, they are able to receive funding for college, specifically in-state tuition.
Most undocumented students are potentially eligible for the recently proposed federal dream Act, but out of the 2.1 million undocumented students in the United States, only 7,000 to 13,000 have enrolled in college as of 2012, according to Educators For Fair Consideration.
Many students find it difficult to locate resources such as dream and put themselves at risk of deportation while looking.
“I didn’t have the language to talk about who I was,” said Jacque Larrainzar, an LGBTQI immigrant and refugee outreach specialist at Seattle Counseling Service.
Larrainzar mentioned that, for undocumented students, it was important to have an understanding of the barriers caused by their status. That understanding, in turn, would help them share their experience with others.
One barrier Calderon faced was being charged for out-of-state tuition at Eastern Washington University when she was a resident.
Calderon’s supervisor for Housing & Residential Life at ewu insisted that she should have to pay the difference and that she should be considered an international student.
When Calderon mentioned that her educational pursuits fell under the dream Act, her supervisor remembered recent training about similar students.
At one point Calderon gave testimony to the Eastern Washington University Board of Trustees about being an undocumented graduate student. This was Calderon’s “coming out” as an undocumented student to her institution.
“One of the people from the department came up to me and [was] shocked with what I was going through and offered to help,” said Calderon.
Discovering the impact her story had on others motivated Calderon to coordinate the first “Day of the Dreams” event to develop support for undocumented students on ewu’s campus.
This event originated from the idea of “coming out,” but it focuses on undocumented students who have not shared their citizenship status.
“Every time I share my story, I impact people, and I want every undocumented student to have that opportunity and space,” Calderon said.
Calderon has spoken at conference workshops and received recognition in the fall 2014 ewu alumni magazine. At ewu, she was named a University Ambassador, awarded to a student who brings positive regional or national visibility to the university.
“It is overwhelming and lots of pressure to take on certain projects or share a story, but I do it as a responsibility,” Calderon said. “My goal is to get undocumented people to share their story.”