Pa’delante: Testimonios, Experiences and Aspirations of Undocumented Latina/o/x College Students During the Trump Presidency

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Throughout my life and experiences, I have seen many talented and bright individuals who have had to settle to live in hiding and see their aspirations disappear. I have had family, friends, and students who had all the potential to be successful never reach those goals. Undocumented Latina/o/x college students have experienced, and continue to experience challenges to earn their American dream. Their aspirations and resiliency are facing one of the biggest challenges yet with the rhetoric and actions of the Trump Administration. These actions may have major implications on their journey through higher education and society. Undocumented students and their families see education as the only ticket for a better tomorrow when socioeconomic disadvantages block social mobility, and the lack of American economy manufacturing jobs that are no longer available that used to be of financial securing (Crosnoe, 2005). For these students and their families “schooling has become a high-stakes goal for the children of immigrants… their only ticket for a better tomorrow” (p. 271).