OXNARD, Calif. - Oxnard College opened up its Dream Resource Center last month. The center provides comprehensive services to a large amount of undocumented students and their families.
This month they are teaming up with a local immigration attorney who will be providing free legal consultation.
“It is a big step for us to know,” said Ana Barbosa, a sophomore at Oxnard College. “This college has a place where all the Dreamers can go and feel welcomed.”
Barbosa is one of those Dreamers. She’s also undocumented, but isn’t allowing that to get in her way of transferring to a University.
“You could go to college even though you are undocumented, a lot of people do not know that,” said Barbosa.
Barbosa is using the Dream Resource Center that is now available at Oxnard College. The Center provides academic, social, and legal resources for students in the community who may be undocumented.
“We are very lucky to be the recipient of the Catalyst fund grant,” said Dolores Ortiz, a sociology professor at Oxnard College. “It is a three-year grant that we will have over $300,000 and we have a lot of great programing. What we are aiming to do is create sustainable resources so that even when the grant money runs out we continue to offer resources to students and in the Ventura County area.”
Only 31 institutions in the state of California were selected to receive this grant. Oxnard College is the first in Ventura county.
“We are the first campus to actually have a center dedicated physical space where students can come,” said Ortiz.
Every Friday during the month of September, the Dream Resource Center is teaming up with a local immigration attorney who will provide students and their families with a free 30-minute legal consultation.
“Unless somebody has a notice for deportation, or there is a warrant for your arrest, they just can’t pick you off the street,” said Gabriela Rodriguez, who is the student activities specialist at Oxnard College. “That is racial profiling, and that is illegal.”
Students say the center makes them feel safe, in a time when many are worried about deportation.
"A center like this is not only a safe haven for our students, but they also get mental health services, and support with their educational careers, and they get information about knowing your rights,” said Rodriguez.
“If it wouldn’t have been here I would have felt loss just know where to go and what to do in my special situation, so yes I am very grateful,” said Barbosa.
The Dream Resource Center is located in Room 109 in the Associated Student Government Building.
