Mexico City born Fresno City College freshman Nancy Barragan-Rodriguez, struggled to make a decision about pursuing her college career.

The 19-year-old, who is undocumented, received an acceptance letter from California State University, Fresno, but realized that even with some scholarships, her parents, who earned very low incomes, would not be able to afford for her to go there.

“I thought to myself, ‘should I give up school, or should I try something else?’” Barragan-Rodriguez said. “I did not want to be one of those people that think their legal status kind of limits them.”

She tried to discern what would be best for her. “I knew I was really good at school; I liked academics; I loved learning,” she said. “I got to the point where I decided and said, ‘hey, if I know I am smart enough, if I know what I believe in, then I should give FCC a try’.”

Once at FCC, Barragan-Rodriguez learned about the recently opened dream center on campus which she says has supported her quest for confidence and her growth as a student. Now, she is excited this center is here for students like her.

“It’s given me a little bit of reassurance and acceptance in a way,” Barragan-Rodriguez said. “In the entire year that I have been here, I didn’t have anyone that I could just walk into his or her office to go talk to directly about my situation, so to have that is amazing.”

Barragan-Rodriguez is just one of 700 to 1,000 undocumented students on the FCC campus who currently could qualify and benefit from services provided by the newly opened dream center at FCC.

According to Barragan-Rodriguez’s counselor, Noel Quintero, students should come in, even if they think they might not meet certain requirements or qualify for services, because it could benefit them tremendously.

“All the counselors here consider themselves allies to these students,” Quintero said.

“We personalize their educational planning; we also refer them to many local agencies around Fresno County for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals [DACA] status, and for any other immigration questions as well.”

Quintero said the dream center counselors take pride in knowing they can also relate to the students, because they have been in their situation at some point in their own college careers.

One of those counselors is Tranquility native Sandra Velazquez, who is the daughter of farm workers. She said she knows the struggles students face because she too has lived it while growing up.

“I can really relate to them because I have been their situation, and I have succeeded,” Velazquez said. “I was able to receive my education, so I really want to be that person that can help them realize that they can too, and it is something that I am very passionate about.”

Velazquez, helped Ernesto Romero, newly transferred from West Hills College, who like Barragan-Rodriguez, was born in Mexico and brought into the U.S. at a very young age.

Romero says the center was able to help him with his classes and gave him a better view of the financial aid available to students like him.

“To me, that is very important because I can’t afford all that money for school,” Romero said. “So if it wasn’t for this program, I would be in trouble. I am so happy I am here.”

According to Graciela Ramirez, who oversees the dream center, every student’s case may be different because of the circumstances, and what applies to one may not necessarily apply to others.

For example, she said the majority of the students served in the dream center office will be identified as Dreamers, DACA students or might just be seeking AB 540 status. To know which program best fits their circumstance or what they do or don’t qualify for, students should see a dream center counselor.

Ramirez said that the center, which opened in August, has been able to help approximately 125 students, which means word is getting out.

She also said that the center is a warm and accepting environment with a primary goal of helping students attain academic success.

That accepting environment at the center is what Barragan-Rodriguez said helped her open up and begin to gain the confidence she was lacking. She said other students should take that leap of faith and come into the center.

“Students need to know that if they come in, they can open up to a counselor about themselves, no matter what their legal status is,” Barragan-Rodriguez said. “The main thing that I would recommend is to have trust and come in, knowing that they have a future in college, and that it is going to be OK, no matter where they came from.”