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Sam — Profile of an Undocumented Sax Player
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One year ago, Sam was a high school honor student and gifted saxophone player who desperately wanted to go to the University of Indiana–Bloomington to study music. As he was applying to college, he realized he did not qualify for financial aid or loans. He didn’t know how his family would pay tuition. His family managed to pull together enough money to help him begin his freshman year this fall at the University of Indiana at South Bend, but he doesn’t know how long it will last.
Sam is one of nearly 65,000 undocumented students brought to this country by their parents as young children who graduated last year from U.S. high schools. Although they are educated in our K–12 schools and have little or no memory of a home other than the U.S., they aren’t eligible to work in this country legally or receive financial aid to pursue a college education after high school graduation.
At the College Board Forum in October, Sam agreed to participate in a panel discussion and play his saxophone in an effort to draw attention to the DREAM Act, which is pending legislation that would create a pathway for undocumented students to become permanent U.S. residents if, within five years, they attend two or more years of college, graduate from college, or serve in the U.S. military. Participants must have come to the U.S. before they were 16, lived here for five years and be under the age of 30. Sam is also being profiled in an audio documentary by Long Haul Productions called American Dreamer: Sam’s Story, which will air on National Public Radio this month.
After Sam’s experience at Forum 2009 in New York, we asked him a few questions:
Connection: Can you tell us about your experience at the Forum?
Sam: First off, I would like to thank the College Board for giving me an awesome opportunity to play at the Forum in New York last month. It meant so much to be able to share my story and directly or indirectly help someone see that there is not only negative in this world. Often times, people in our situation hide for the same reasons that I was hesitant to agree to going to New York to play and share my story. But I believe it’s very important for large and comprehensive organizations such as the College Board to advocate such matters as the one in the hands of many undocumented residents and students like myself.
My experience at the Forum was amazing. I have never been to New York …heck, I had never been to Chicago. I had never actually experienced the busy city life of New York. The people on the street seemed to move so fast. Everything was very fast paced. No rest for anything. Everyone at the Forum was so nice, and it felt like they were all there to help me. So many professors and very important people were there with awesome tips and advice and lots of words of encouragement. While working on the documentary, I mentioned to the people at Long Haul Productions that speaking in New York was the first time I had felt so safe telling people my story and situation.
C: How did you learn about your status?
Sam:Growing up, I remember Mom and Dad telling us (my brother, sister and me) to not tell anyone too much information. I just figured that it was a bad thing to tell people things about our family. I began to learn about my status when I was around middle school and into high school…when it really mattered. I was invited to be a 21st Century Scholarship student in middle school, but we had to turn it down because of my status. During high school the lack of documentation caused problems with applying for colleges, finding money for college, getting a job, and getting a driver’s license, a car and basic things that everyone else sees as normal.
C: Lack of financial aid is one of the greatest barriers undocumented students face in gaining access to higher education. How was it a barrier for you as you began your first year in college?
Sam: Lack of financial aid is a huge barrier. I didn’t know how true this was until I started to talk to Mom and Dad and my adviser about money — how much we had, how much we needed, how much books, lab fees, food and transportation was going to cost. We are working with an organization called La Casa to help us pay for school for this year. They can only help with about a third of the cost of college for this year but we are very, very grateful for that one-third!
C: Teachers and school counselors play a critical role in the lives of many undocumented students. Through your academic career, were you supported by adults in your schools? What more do you think educators can do to help undocumented students?
Sam: I was supported by my counselor a lot. She did whatever she could to get me into school, she helped me find scholarship opportunities, and she set up the appointment with IUSB and helped me the entire time in high school. There was a trust issue that I had to overcome. I didn’t tell her about my status up until I really had to. I was afraid that everyone I knew was going to find out about my status and that it was going to get everywhere and in the wrong hands. I didn’t tell anyone because I was afraid of being turned in and eventually being deported. The issue of having or not having documentation, I believe, hinders the communication between students and the adults that want to help them. I believe that if there were more Hispanic counselors and educators, it could help the trust issue that I and many others face.
C: How would your life change if the DREAM Act were passed?
Sam: If the DREAM Act passed, it would change my life completely. I would be able to drive and find a job to keep me afloat while I’m at school. The DREAM Act would help my brother and sister, too; I think it would be a motivation for them and so many other kids in our situation to get a higher education. It would open up so many doors for us as a family, too; it would liberate my father of some stress in the house because we would be able to fend for ourselves. Dad is the only one bringing in the income in our family so all of the financial weight falls on him, and it would feel great and I know it would benefit all of us if we kids could all go out and find jobs to help support ourselves.
I agreed to take part in the documentary with Long Haul Productions in hope that it could help our family, and families that are in the same situation that we are in. I hope my work with the College Board and participating in the documentary will help my family and many others like us. The DREAM Act will help so many people become all that they can be and so much more. Our family has been waiting for 14 years, and next summer will be our 15th. There are families that have been waiting much longer than we have. Hopefully something will happen soon. Important organizations like the College Board are playing important roles in the passing of the DREAM Act, and I am very glad to know that big voices are behind us to help us get this show on the road. Best of luck to us all!
American Dreamer, the audio documentary featuring Sam, is available on the College Board Education Policy & Advocacy website.. The College Board Advocacy report, Young Lives on Hold: The College Dreams of Undocumented Students, is also available there.
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