“It’s helped me find a lot of resources I didn’t know existed,” said the student, who benefited from free legal aid, help filling out his California Dream Act application, academic and career counseling, and the California Dream Act Service Incentive Grant for completing 150 volunteer hours per semester, not to mention camaraderie and conversation.
Thanks to an expanded professional staff, a new location, and growing collaborations with nonprofits and on-campus departments, the Undocumented Resource Center is on a roll. Previously known as the Dreamer Resource Center, the office underwent a complete makeover and moved during the 2024 summer break to a roomier and easier-to-find space in the L Building. For the first time, the center is staffed with a full-time coordinator, Magaly Corro Flores, and part-time counseling faculty, Gabriela Soto Garibay.
Corro Flores said the former Dreamer Resource Center was renamed for better outreach to undocumented students who aren’t familiar with the DREAM Act. And while it has expanded its target audience to include faculty, classified professionals, and allies, the Undocumented Resource Center’s mission remains unchanged: creating an inclusive campus culture that supports undocumented and mixed-status students achieve their academic and personal pursuits.
The Undocumented Resource Center assists scores of City College students each semester, including 67 who registered in fall 2024 for the UndocuScholar Program initiative aimed at ensuring undocumented students reach their educational goals. That program alone provides students with backpacks, flash drives, opportunity drawings, structured check-ins with counselors, and updates on the latest available resources. “This is just one of many examples showing how we are here for our students,” Corro Flores said.
Collaborations are critical. The Basic Needs Center supports efforts with monthly, culturally relevant grocery gift cards for eligible undocumented students. Jewish Family Services provides free immigration legal services through the Higher Education Legal Services initiative. Access and Alliance San Diego help students learn how to start their own businesses. Dreams for Change helps with federal and state tax and Individual Tax Identification Number filings. “We could not do this on our own,” Corro Flores said, adding that despite the change in the new administration’s approach to immigrants, the Undocumented Resource Center will continue to charge ahead.
“We’re going to keep our doors open, we are going to continue to offer our services, and we are going to continue to provide an option for virtual appointments for people who might be too afraid to come in. If anything, we’re going to be advocating on behalf of our students even more,” she said.
Corro Flores herself is a former undocumented student who was born in in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo and grew up in Mexico City. She was determined to become an immigration lawyer, but a lack of finances kept her from following that dream. Instead, she did the next best thing: she completed her education, including a master’s degree in counseling, and works as an educator focused on helping the immigrant population. She is especially proud of the earlier mentioned 23-year-old student who is transferring to San Diego State to pursue a path to bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in geology, with a plan of finding a career as a geochemist or volcanologist.
“He used to be hesitant, and he was a little shy, but he has grown, he has flourished, he has reached out to help other students, and now he’s transferring to San Diego State,” Corro Flores said. “Students come in here shy; they leave feeling empowered, confident, and secure.”