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AB 540 community college students in Southern California: making connections and realizing dreams

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AB 540 community college students in Southern California: making connections and realizing dreams

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Content Running head: AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 1

AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS IN SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA: MAKING CONNECTIONS AND REALIZING DREAMS

by
Michelle Gonzales Bleza

A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

December 2013

Copyright 2013 Michelle Gonzales Bleza

AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 2
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 3

Abstract
This study applies the construct of institutional agents and the associated theories of social
capital and social networking to understand the influence of institutional agents on Latino
undocumented community college students who qualify for tuition equity in California under AB
540. The purpose of this study was to identify the issues these students face in their daily lives
and their sources of challenge and support. Specific attention was placed on the roles of
institutional agents in working with this population. In-depth interviews of thirteen Latino AB
540 community students and ten faculty and staff members from two community colleges were
conducted. The following findings were of greatest importance. First, Latino AB 540 students
look to peers, family, and community members as their main sources of support. Second, the
timing in which eligible students became aware of the benefits of AB 540 (before senior year,
during senior year, or after enrolling in community college) poses a risk to access to higher
education. Third, financial obstacles are the most significant hurdle for undocumented students.
Fourth, the institutional agents studied primarily served in the area of direct support as resource
agents, knowledge agents, and advocates. Fifth, they also provided integrative support as cultural
guides. This study contributes to the burgeoning literature on institutional agents and adds to the
scant literature on the transition to college for undocumented students and on undocumented
community college students in general; where the majority of undocumented students are
enrolled or begin their collegiate careers.

AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 4

Acknowledgements
My advisor, Dr. Estela Bensimon and co-advisor, Dr. Don Polkinghorne knew that when
I found a passion I could finish a dissertation. I am indebted to Dr. Bensimon for supporting this
study. To Arlete, Ivette, Maria, Jesus, Juan, and Francisco and all the AB 540 students who
inspired me. To the students, staff, and faculty members who took part in this study, thank you
for sharing your stories and helping me become a better educator.
I appreciate Drs. Alicia Dowd and Cynthia Mosqueda who advised me on my proposal
and Drs. Rey Baca and Paz Oliverez from my defense committee. Thank you to my Trojan
family: Arlease Woods, Ilda Jimenez y West and Linda Fischer – my institutional agent! The real
Dr. Robert Briones, Corliss, Bailers, Celena, MP and Renee, Jen, Charuni, Andy, Kay, and Yael;
from UCSD: Agustin Orozco, Juan and Sylvia Astorga, Dina Maramba, and Veronica Castro;
Drs. Moira and Sally from ACW; and from the Coachella Valley: Tamara Hedges and UCR
Palm Desert, Pathways to Success, and Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz.
Thank you to my parents, Jose and Mary Esther, who instilled in me a love for education.
Love to my sister Lavette and her beautiful daughters Randee Michelle and Joee Marie and
husband Don; my padrinos, Jolene Moreno Hyatt and David Gonzales, their spouses Dan and
Eileen and their families; the families of Uncles Roger, Wedo, Chris, and Francis Gonzales
particularly my Aunt Pam who cared for me during chemo; the Moreno, Aceves, Aragon, and
Whatley families. My grandma Charlotte Gonzales is my only grandparent who will see our
family’s first doctor. I know the others are watching over me.
To the Bleza and Sol Cruz families, thank you for your love and support – especially my
father-in-law Moises and sister-in-law Annabelle. May my mother-in-law rest in peace.
Finally, to the love of my life and my best friend, Alex. This is for you.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 5

Table of Contents
Abstract ................................................................................................................. 3
Acknowledgements ............................................................................................... 4
List of Tables ........................................................................................................ 8
List of Figures .................................................................................................... viii
CHAPTER 1. UNDOCUMENTED COLLEGE STUDENTS IN
CALIFORNIA ...................................................................................................... 9
Statement of the Problem .................................................................................... 10
Conceptual Framework: Social Network Framework ........................................ 13
Purpose of the Study ........................................................................................... 18
Organization of the Study ................................................................................... 19
CHAPTER 2. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ............................................ 20
Documenting Literature Selected for Review ..................................................... 22
Undocumented Latino Students Access to Higher Education in California ....... 24
Challenges with College Access, College-Specific Information, and
Funding ............................................................................................ 24
Challenges for Latino AB 540 Students Associated with Residency
Status ................................................................................................ 35
Sources of Support for Latino AB 540 Students .................................... 42
Discussion Undocumented Latino Students Access to Higher Education in
California ..................................................................................................... 50
Institutional Agents ............................................................................................. 51
Social Network Framework .................................................................... 52
Institutional Agents Differ from Mentors ............................................... 59
Empowerment Agents ............................................................................. 60
Discussion of Institutional Agents .......................................................... 62
Summary Literature Review ............................................................................... 63
CHAPTER 3. RESEARCH METHODS ........................................................... 65
Overall Approach to the Study and Rationale .................................................... 66
In-Depth Interviews ................................................................................ 66
Site Selection ...................................................................................................... 67
Gaining Access ....................................................................................... 68
Selecting Participants .............................................................................. 69
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 6

Marco Antonio Firebaugh College ......................................................... 71
Cesar Chavez College ............................................................................. 74
Beginning the Study: The Interview Protocols ................................................... 76
Field notes and Memos ....................................................................................... 78
Data Analysis ...................................................................................................... 80
Validity ............................................................................................................... 83
Comprehensive Data Treatment ............................................................. 84
The Constant Comparison Method ......................................................... 84
Deviate Case Analysis ............................................................................ 85
Using Appropriate Tabulations ............................................................... 85
Personal Bias and Ethics ..................................................................................... 86
Personal Bias ........................................................................................... 86
Ethical Issues Addressed in this Study ................................................... 88
Ethics in Constructing the Text ............................................................... 88
Data Security ........................................................................................... 89
Summary ............................................................................................................. 90
CHAPTER 4. FINDINGS: LATINO AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE
STUDENTS ..................................................................................................... 91
Challenges in Obtaining Information about College Access, College-Specific
Information, and Funding ............................................................................ 91
Lack of Awareness of Undocumented Status ......................................... 93
Learning about AB 540 before Senior Year of High School ................ 102
Learning about AB 540 during Senior Year of High School ................ 105
Learning about AB 540 after Enrolling in Community College ........... 110
Misinformation ..................................................................................... 113
Challenges for Latino AB 540 Students Associated with Residency Status .... 116
Financial Obstacles ............................................................................... 116
Hurdles Associated with Transportation ............................................... 119
Fear of Deportation ............................................................................... 122
Anti-immigrant Hostility ...................................................................... 123
Supportive Relationships for AB 540 Students ................................................ 127

AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 7

CHAPTER 5. FINDINGS: INSTITUTIONAL AGENTS FOR AB 540
COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS ......................................................... 134
Robert Briones: An Institutional Agent from Firebaugh College ..................... 135
Integrative Support ................................................................................ 136
Direct Support ....................................................................................... 139
System Developer ................................................................................. 143
System Linkages and Networking Support ........................................... 146
Patrick Astorga: An Institutional Agent from Chavez College ........................ 151
Integrative Support ................................................................................ 151
Direct Support ....................................................................................... 153
System Developer ................................................................................. 154
System Linkages and Networking Support ........................................... 156
Empowerment Agents ....................................................................................... 157
CHAPTER 6. DISCUSSION ........................................................................... 160
Discussion of Findings ...................................................................................... 160
Support and Challenges in Obtaining Information about AB 540 ........ 161
Support for AB 540 Students by Institutional Agents .......................... 163
Empowerment Agents ........................................................................... 165
Implications for Practice ................................................................................... 165
Future Research ................................................................................................ 169
Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 172
Epilogue ............................................................................................................ 175
References ......................................................................................................... 178
Appendices ........................................................................................................ 194
A. Roles of Institutional Agents ................................................................ 194
B. Website Protocol for Site Selection ...................................................... 199
C. Interview Protocol for Students ............................................................ 201
D. Interview Protocol for Staff and Faculty Members .............................. 205
E. Informed Consent Form for Student Participants ................................. 208
F. Informed Consent Form for Staff and Faculty Participants .................. 210
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 8

List of Tables
Table 2.1. Aliens Returned by Country of Nationality: Fiscal Years 2009
to 2011 ......................................................................................................... 37
Table 3.1 Student Participants at Firebaugh College .......................................... 73
Table 3.2: Faculty and Staff Participants at Firebaugh College ......................... 74
Table 3.3: Student Participants at Chavez College ............................................. 75
Table 3.4: Faculty and Staff Participants at Chavez College.............................. 76
Table 4.1:Undocumented Students Interviewed Learn about AB 540 ............... 94

List of Figures
Figure 1.1: Roles of Institutional Agents ............................................................ 16

AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 9

CHAPTER 1
UNDOCUMENTED COLLEGE STUDENTS IN CALIFORNIA
In the United States, federal law requires that children have the right to a public education
regardless of documentation status (Plyler v. Doe, 1982). Students under age eighteen that desire
a public education have the right to pursue their educational goals without being asked about
their documentation status or that of their parents. Thousands of undocumented immigrant
children attend public schools throughout the United States eventually earning high school
diplomas or equivalents. However, once these students graduate from high school and want to
enter higher education, state laws determine if undocumented students can enroll in state-funded
colleges and universities and/or receive any tuition assistance.
For immigrant students without current residency documentation, gaining entrance into a
college and earning a college degree requires an understanding of complex federal and state
laws. The college-going experiences of undocumented college students in the United States
differ from state to state. Citizenship and legal residency can only be mandated at the federal
level. Consequently, some states have passed legislation that affects undocumented college-age
immigrants residing in their states. For instance, fifteen states have tuition equity laws and two
states offer flat rate tuition for all enrolled students.
1
Although some stories by undocumented
students across the nation share similar features, until comprehensive federal immigration laws
are passed, the variations in college-going experiences for undocumented students will continue
to differ depending on the state in which students reside. For this reason, this study specifically
examined undocumented community college students in California.

1
As of May 2013 (National Immigration Law Center, 2013)
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 10

Statement of the Problem
In California, eligible undocumented students can enroll in public institutions of higher
education and pay California in-state tuition, through a tuition equity law generally called AB
540 (Public Postsecondary Education: Exemption from Nonresident Tuition, 2001). AB 540 was
the assembly bill’s number when it was submitted by Assemblyman Marco Antonio Firebaugh.
Passed in 2001 and implemented in January 2002, AB 540 grants tuition equity to undocumented
students who have attended high school in California for at least three years, graduated or
received a G.E.D., and sign an affidavit at a state public college or university that they will apply
for legal residency when they become eligible
2
. This law benefits qualified students who have
spent the majority of the high school years in California by assessing them the same tuition rates
as California residents, which is helpful. However, some of the problems with this law are not
with its contents, but rather with its limitations.
AB 540 provides undocumented students with tuition equity, however for many
undocumented Latino students who are AB 540 eligible, the cost of obtaining higher education
remains unaffordable (Gonzales & Chavez, 2012; Oliverez, 2007). Most undocumented Latino
youth in California come from low-income families that live below or slightly above the poverty
level (Pastor & Marcelli, 2013). Paying for higher education is even more complex for this group
of students. Financial aid is processed at the federal level and supplemented at the state level.
Undocumented students cannot apply for federal financial aid because they lack Social Security

2
Two additional California laws were passed in 2011 that affect undocumented students. AB 130 or California
Dream Act (Student Financial Aid: Eligibility: California Dream Act of 2011, 2011), allows undocumented
students to be eligible for privately funded scholarships at state institutions. The financial aid application for AB
130 was released on April 2, 2012. AB 131 (which amends California student financial aid to include
undocumented students) will not take effect until January 1, 2013 (Student Financial Aid, 2011) and the first
awards under this law will granted in Fall 2013. These laws impacted students that were interviewed for this study
after data collection had already been completed. The details of these laws are discussed in Chapter five of this
dissertation.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 11

numbers. This prevents these students from being considered from many scholarship
opportunities that require federal financial aid paperwork. For these reasons, less than 1% of all
students enrolled in state-run colleges California receive tuition benefits through AB 540
(Legislative Analyst's Office, 2010).
Another problem exists with disseminating information about AB 540 to undocumented
students that qualify. Unfortunately, there is no provision in this law for high school counselors,
teachers, or college officials requiring them to be knowledgeable about AB 540 or share the
benefits of this law with potentially eligible students (Abrego, 2008; Gleeson & Gonzales, 2012;
Oliverez, 2007). Since professionals at the high school and collegiate levels are not required to
be conversant about AB 540 or distribute information about the law, some eligible
undocumented college students reported that they paid non-resident rates until they became
aware that AB 540 tuition equity existed (Garcia, 2011; Perez Huber & Malagon, 2007).
Undocumented Latino students face typical stressors like other low-income Latino
college students. However, AB 540 students must also confront a myriad of issues specific to
their residency status. They fear being deported to a country of which they might have little or no
memory (W. Perez, 2012; W. Perez & Cortes, 2011). They cannot legally drive and often have to
spend much time commuting via public transportation (Abrego, 2008; W. Perez & Cortes, 2011).
These students must also contend with not being able to legally earn wages during their
collegiate years or after they have completed their degrees
3
(Abrego & Gonzales, 2010;

3
On June 15, 2012 Janet Napolitano, United States Secretary of Homeland Security issued a memo to the
Department of Homeland Security to exercise discretion and grant work permits to individuals under the age of 31
who were brought to the United States before the age of 16, have continuously lived in the United States, and have
not been convicted of a felony, a significant misdemeanor offense, or multiple misdemeanor offenses. This policy
is called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began
issuing work permits in August 2012. Deportation deferments and work permits are to last for two years and are
renewable (Napolitano, 2012). DACA was implemented after data was collected for this study.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 12

Gonzales, 2010). This combination of financial constraints and legal restrictions are potholes
along their higher education pathway.
In the face of these barriers, undocumented students continue to enroll in post-secondary
institutions to follow their educational dreams. Since AB 540 was implemented in 2002, there
has been a small, yet steady, increase in enrollment of undocumented Mexican college students
in states with tuition equity laws (Flores, 2010; Kaushal, 2008). For undocumented young adults,
laws like AB 540 can mean the difference of choosing to pursue higher education or trying to
find employment without a Social Security number (Gleeson & Gonzales, 2012). AB 540 allows
eligible undocumented young adults to pay resident tuition rates at state-funded institutions. This
opportunity is diminished by lack of knowledge among educators about the law, scarcity of
information about AB 540 being provided to eligible students, and limited financial support for
students once they enroll in institutions higher education.
Educators can assist undocumented students by incorporating them into their support
networks, creating programs, and influencing policies. Many Latino immigrant and first
generation college students, have limited access to supportive staff and faculty members at the
high school (Oliverez, 2006; Stanton-Salazar, 1997, 2001; Stanton-Salazar & Dornbusch, 1995;
Suarez-Orozco, Suarez-Orozco, & Todorova, 2008) and college level (Bensimon & Dowd, 2009;
Bensimon, Dowd, Trapp, & Alford, 2007; Dowd, Pak, & Bensimon, 2013; Mmeje, 2012; Pak,
Bensimon, Malcom, Marquez, & Park, 2006). The problem does not exist with the students’
ability to find trustworthy school personnel; rather it is with the absence of intentional
interactions with institutional agents that can assist undocumented students in understanding
their complex pathways to college. Institutional agents are defined below within the context of
Stanton-Salazar’s (2011) social network framework.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 13

Conceptual Framework: Social Network Framework
In the social network framework, the definition of an institutional agent is very specific.
Institutional agents form networks and share resources with students and other professionals by
design in order to create changes in social equity in education and society as a whole. The
definition of an “institutional agent” used throughout this study:
An institutional agent is an individual who occupies one or more hierarchical
positions of relatively high-status and authority. Such an individual, situated in an
adolescent’s social network, manifests his or her potential role as an institutional
agent, when, on behalf of the adolescent, he or she acts to directly transmit, or
negotiate the transmission of, highly valued resources (e.g., high school course
requirements for admission to 4-year universities) (Stanton-Salazar, 2011, p.
1067).
The capacity of an institutional agent is in the strength of his or her own social network and his
or her ability to empower youth with limited non-kin connections. An institutional agent
“mobilizes” intuitional support to benefit “low-status students,” or students who are considered
to be located on a low echelon of society as dictated by societal norms, in a more favorable
position, by using “his or her position, status and authority, or exercises key forms of power,
and/or uses his or her reputation, in a strategic and supportive fashion” (Stanton-Salazar, 2011,
p. 1076). Social network ties are understood in terms of social capital in this framework.
Social capital, in this case, consists of “high-status institutional resources embedded in
social relationships and social structure” (Stanton-Salazar, 2011, p. 1068). This definition of
social capital is based on Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of social reproduction (Bourdieu, 1986;
Bourdieu & Passeron, 1977 in Stanton-Salazar, 2011) in which social capital is a mechanism for
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 14

distributing highly valued resources that is reproduced over time. Lin (2001 as cited in Stanton-
Salazar, 2011, p. 1084) adds that social capital is embedded in resources and distributed within a
social structure. A social structure, as defined by Lin (2001 as cited in Stanton-Salazar, 2011, p.
1085), consists of a hierarchical structure in which differential amounts of highly valued
resources are controlled by institutional agents who share and act upon rules and procedures for
distribution of these resources.
Social capital is therefore distributed along the lines of privilege and domination that is
ingrained in hierarchical, integrated, and reproductive social structures namely systems of
stratification such as race, class, and gender (Stanton-Salazar, 2011). As social actors,
individuals are connected to each other via social networks. For this reason, this framework is
also informed by the work or Coleman (Stanton-Salazar, 2011, p. 1084) in which communities
mobilize to create high density networks to create forms of power. Coleman, as Stanton-Salazar
(2011) critiques, failed to recognize the societal forces in which some communities accumulate
forms of capital while subjugating other communities usually along class and racial lines to
inferior forms of capital (p. 1084) including cultural capital which privileges the cultural norms
of the dominant class or race. More recent studies with an emphasis on equity in education
(Bensimon, Dowd, Stanton-Salazar, & Macias, in press; Dowd et al., 2013) demonstrate
institutional agents can intentionally work to push the boundaries of society in order to provide
resources at their disposal to a more inclusive group of students. Undocumented Latino students
who are vulnerable to societal forces of racial discrimination as well as exclusionary laws and
policies related to immigration can benefit from the assistance of institutional agents who have a
critical awareness of their complex societal boundaries.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 15

Institutional agents occupy many positions on high school and college campuses. They
take on several roles in order to assist students best. Stanton-Salazar (2011) categorizes the
actions and behaviors of institutional agents to empower students into four categories:
institutional agents who provide direct support; integrative agents; system developers; and
institutional agents who supply system linkages and networking support. Stanton-Salazar (2011)
based these labels of institutional agents on theoretical concepts he developed by observing the
actions and behaviors of institutional agents from his own empirical studies as well as his
collaborative work including Bensimon et al. (in press) and Dowd et al. (2013). Within the broad
categories of supportive institutional agents, mentioned above, are micro-level roles in which
institutional agents engage. In the figure below (Stanton-Salazar, 2011, p. 1081) the distinct
behaviors and actions of institutional agents are defined in more detail.

AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 16

Micro-Level Roles of Institutional Agents within the Social Network Framework
Institutional agents who provide direct support act in ways similar to that of mentors or
academic advisors (Bensimon et al., in press, p. 15). Direct support to students is provided
through multiple roles: by providing personal and institutional resources (resource agent), doing
academic advising and conveying knowledge about the educational system (knowledge agent
Figure 1.1: Roles of Institutional Agents
Direct
Support
Resource Agent
•provides personal and
positional resources to
students
Knowledge Agent
•knows the “system”
•accesses or provides
knowledge pertinent to
navigating the system
Advisor
•helps students gather
information
•assesses problems and
possible solutions in a
collaborative manner
•promotes & guides effective
decision making
Advocate
•promotes and protects the
interest of “their” students
Networking Coach
•teaches students how to
network with key
institutional agents
•models appropriate
networking behavior
•develops relationships with
important and influential
people
Integrative
Support
Integrative Agent
•coordinates students’
integration and participation
in networks and professional
venues (professional
associations, department,
school, etc)
Cultural Guide
•helps students gather
information
•assesses problems and
possible solutions in a
collaborative manner
•promotes & guides effective
decision making
System
Developer
Program Developer
•develops programs that
embeds students in a system
of agents, resources, and
opportunities
Lobbyist
•lobbies for organizational
resources to be directed
toward recruiting and
supporting students
Political Advocate
•joins political action group
that advocates for social
policies and institutional
resources that would benefit
targeted groups of students
System Linkage
& Networking
Support
Recruiter
•actively recruits students into
a program, department, etc.
Bridging Agent
•introduces students to
institutional agents
•Has a strong social network
•Knows what key players do
Institutional Broker
•introduces students to
institutional agents
•knows what resources are
available and who controls
or possesses them
Coordinator
•assesses student’s needs
•Identifies resources to
address needs
•provides or accesses
institutional resources on
behalf of students
•ensures student utilizes
resources
Institutional
Agent
Stanton-Salazar (2011, p. 1081)
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 17

and advisor), advocating on behalf of students’ needs (advocate), and helping students learn to
network (networking coach).
Integrative support consists of incorporating students into professional networks and
associations where students are exposed to funds of knowledge and career opportunities not
readily available without these connections. An integrative support agent is aware of the
empowering socialization experiences derived from participating in high-status networks and
these associations are key sites where networking, help seeking, and reciprocal exchanges of
institutional support are the norm, and where “bridging” and “brokering” are typical
organizational activities as are network development and cultural exposure. An integrative agent
incorporates students into their very own professional network (Based on Bensimon et al., in
press, p. 27). A cultural guide offers integrative support through guided cultural exposure in
which students are empowered to learn to negotiate different cultural norms and identify key
agents in simultaneously existing, and often conflicting sociocultural worlds (Stanton-Salazar,
2011, p. 1101). Integrative agents intentionally create opportunities for students to interact with
larger networks.
A system developer is an institutional agent who develops programs that will embed
students – some of whom the individual will never meet – in a system of agents, resources, and
opportunities (Bensimon et al., in press, p. 16). System developers often rely on their
connections with other key faculty members and administrators with whom they can lobby to
create systemic change. An example of a system developer is an individual in a high-ranking
position who may have little interaction with students, but can design a program for
undergraduate students of color to conduct research.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 18

Institutional agents who supply system linkages and networking support act at a systems
and structural level and tend to articulate an explicit agenda to use resources and support
structures within their areas of authority to increase the educational opportunities of racialized
students (Bensimon et al., in press, p. 16). To develop system linkages, these institutional agents
need to have broad networks with decision-making faculty members and administrators.
Overall, institutional agents share and distribute resources to students or on behalf of
students due to their position of power on a high school or college campus. The focus of this
study is undocumented Latino college students. At the time the students participated in this
study, they were in contact with institutional agents at their community college campuses. The
connections between institutional agents at the community colleges and the student participants
is an important aspect of this work as explained next.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to understand the community college-going experiences of
undocumented Latino community college students and their interactions with key faculty and
staff members identified as institutional agents using the social network framework designed by
Stanton-Salazar (2011). To examine the college-going experiences of the student participants in
this study, the following overarching research question was posed: In what ways do
undocumented Latino community college students become aware of their rights under AB 540
and how to access this benefit? For further clarity, two subquestions guided the research:
1. What support mechanisms assist Latino AB 540 community college
students and what challenges inhibit their college-going experience?
2. In what ways do institutional agents at the college level facilitate access to
college and on-going support for undocumented Latino students?
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 19

Undocumented Latino students encounter a wide range of educators at the high school and
college levels. Institutional agents interact with students in intentional ways in order to prepare
students for college, guide students to transfer, achieve college degrees, and prepare them for
future careers. Institutional agents are also keenly aware of racial inequities in society. For this
reason, the categories of intuitional agents theorized by Stanton-Salazar (2011) were used to
categorize the data. Examples of some of the categories in the framework have not been
specifically identified in published empirical studies; however the actions and behaviors included
in the definitions are based on observations from empirical studies of institutional agents that
work with low-income and working class students of color. The framework, that includes distinct
categories, provides a useful means to analyze behaviors and actions of institutional agents.
Organization of the Study
Chapter 1 contains the background of the problem, the statement of the problem, the
purpose of the study, the conceptual framework, the questions to be answered, the significance of
the study, the definitions of terms, and an introduction to the methodology. Chapter 2 is a review
of relevant literature related to the research questions. Chapter 3 is a more detailed description of
the methodology used in the study including the research design, the procedures for data
collection and the plan for data analysis. Chapters 4 and 5 present the data on undocumented
students and institutional agents, respectively. Finally, chapter 6 provides applications to
practice, implications for further research, and overall conclusions of the study.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 20

CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
In the United States, advancing from high school to the work force or college marks a
critical rite of passage (Gonzales, 2008a). Undocumented young adults have described this
transition as quite stressful (Gonzales, 2008a); opposed to joyful or exciting as their American
counterparts internalize this same life changing moment. For the first time, undocumented youth
begin to face challenges associated with residency status, as they take on adult roles including
driving, working, and applying for college. Prospective undocumented Latino college students
begin preparing for college, just like their peers, by trying to understand college requirements,
beginning to fill out college applications, and finding financial resources. At this point, their
paths diverge from students who are United States citizens or authorized residents. In addition to
learning all the college-going procedures as their peers, qualified undocumented students in
California must learn that they can attend college under AB 540, California’s tuition equity law,
which gives them the right to pay in-state resident tuition rates. They also need to learn how to
apply for college under AB 540 and fund their education without federal financial aid. They must
also come to understand the legal and policy restrictions that will affect their collegiate lives as
undocumented AB 540 students. For most undocumented students, they need to declare their
residency status for the first time in an academic document (college application or scholarship) in
order to be granted their rights to this benefit (Public Postsecondary Education: Exemption from
Nonresident Tuition, 2001). This entails informing a high school or college official that they are
undocumented.
Undocumented youth do not have to divulge their residency status in an educational
setting until they reach college. Students are protected by law, Plyler v. Doe (Plyler v. Doe,
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 21

1982) allows all children to attend public schools in the United States until the end of high
school regardless of immigration status. Due to this law, school officials cannot ask students or
their parents about their residency. In California, high school counselors and teachers are also not
required to inform qualified students about their rights under AB 540 (Public Postsecondary
Education: Exemption from Nonresident Tuition, 2001) even if students disclose that they are
undocumented. This inhibits some students from understanding AB 540 and how to apply to
college as AB 540 students (Gonzales, 2008a). Unfortunately, many AB 540 students have
reported that high school staff or faculty members failed to offer assistance (Gonzales, 2008a;
Oliverez, 2006), discouraged them from going to college (Martinez-Calderon, 2010), and
delivered inaccurate or incomplete information (Gonzales, 2008a; Oliverez, 2006). Helpful high
school officials have been acknowledged by students as easing their transition to college by
providing access to resources and connecting students with helpful others (Gonzales, 2012;
Stanton-Salazar, 2001). Therefore, students need to find a reliable source of information. Ideally,
a well-informed counselor or teacher should be able to help them with all their pre-college
preparations.
Navigating through college and successfully completing a degree continues to be
complicated for AB 540 students after college matriculation. When undocumented students start
college, they begin to experience restrictive residency laws, policies, and procedures that
influence their college-going experiences (Chavez, Soriano, & Oliverez, 2007; Oliverez, 2006).
Undocumented students can be supported by an institutional agent defined as:
An individual who occupies one or more hierarchical positions of relatively high-
status and authority. Such an individual, situated in an adolescent’s social
network, manifests his or her potential role as an institutional agent, when, on
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 22

behalf of the adolescent, he or she acts to directly transmit, or negotiate the
transmission of, highly valued resources (e.g., high school course requirements
for admission to 4-year universities). (Stanton-Salazar, 2011, p. 1068)
An institutional agent is a non-family authority figure who guides students with low social status
by sharing his or her positional and personal resources (knowledge and networks), developing
programs, and influencing systematic change. An institutional agent also offers validation and
advocacy from the beginning of students’ transition to college until they complete their
collegiate goals, enter graduate school, or begin their careers.
This literature review is divided into two parts. The first part focuses on the empirical
research regarding the challenges that Latino AB 540 students confront daily as well as their
resources for support. The second part of the review presents the theoretical foundation for this
study based on a growing body of research on institutional agents. An overview of social
network theory as it pertains to Latino youth is discussed followed by the evolution to the
development of specific actions and behaviors of institutional agents observed in recent research.
Documenting Literature Selected for Review
This review of the literature for the first part of this chapter focused on empirical research
about undocumented Latino students in California. The primary focus was to examine in what
ways do undocumented Latino college students become aware of their rights under AB 540. In
order to explore this topic, studies reviewed included those that identified the challenges that
face AB 540 students as well as research regarding support these students receive in acquiring
guidance about their rights. The three main databases utilized during this process were
googlescholar, ProQuest, and ERIC. Key words and phrases used in the initial database search
were undocumented college students, Latino college students, college access, and scholarships.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 23

The criteria in the initial review of the studies were (a) content specific to the lived
experiences of undocumented Latino college students; (b) published after 2001 in a refereed
journal, book, or report from a research center; (c) conducted in California; and (d) faculty and
staff interactions with undocumented college students. There were eighty-four studies identified
that met most of these criteria established. From the search, insight was obtained concerning the
challenges undocumented students confront as young adults and on college campuses. Sources of
support from family, peers, community organizations, and school officials were also identified to
provide a broader perspective of the experiences of AB 540 students.
In the second part of this chapter, studies regarding institutional agents were examined
based on (a) use of “institutional agents” as informed by the work by Stanton-Salazar, Bensimon
and Dowd as well as studies based on their work on institutional agents; (b) interactions between
minority students; and (c) published after 1995 in a refereed journal, book, or report from a
research center. Studies were located through googlescholar, ERIC, and Worldcat databases.
Additional studies were identified using the bibliographies of the articles found in the database
search. A total of forty-three studies fit these specifications.
The review of the literature begins with an analysis of the studies pertaining to
undocumented Latino students. Specific attention is placed on studies about the transition from
high school to college, legal complications, and barriers to success. Sources of support are then
examined. In the second part of the review, research on institutional agents is explored. The
studies were analyzed using a framework for studying institutional agents developed by Stanton-
Salazar (2011, p. 1081) which is based on the overarching definition by Stanton-Salazar (2011,
p. 1068) above. In this model, the actions and behaviors by institutional agents are classified
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 24

according to the forms of institutional support provided by educators to students: direct support,
integrative support, system development, and system linkage and networking support.
Undocumented Latino Students Access to Higher Education in California
The complex challenges that Latino AB 540 students faces daily and the various
resources for support are daunting for many of these students. Establishing and understanding the
factors which address the experiences of undocumented Latino students in California is
fundamental. California’s tuition equity law for undocumented college students, AB 540, was
passed in California in 2001 (Public Postsecondary Education: Exemption from Nonresident
Tuition, 2001). AB 540 allows undocumented students that meet the state’s criteria to pay
resident tuition rates. However, AB 540 did not resolve all issues for undocumented students.
First, the barriers to college access are analyzed for AB 540 students. Difficulties unique to these
students in completing college applications and funding college are explored including lack of
access to information and limited access to financial resources. Concerns related to
undocumented residency still exist. Next, research associated with undocumented residency is
explored such as legal complications including potential deportation and restrictions on work and
driving; discrimination against immigrants in the United States; and possibilities of not being
able to utilize their college degrees upon graduation. Finally, sources of strength for Latino AB
540 students are discussed, such as support from family, peers, clubs and community
organizations, and school officials.
Challenges with College Access, College-Specific Information, and Funding
Filling out college materials and finding funding for college are difficult tasks for
undocumented students. Most information provided by high school officials assumes that
students are citizens or legal residents (Chavez et al., 2007; Oliverez, 2007). Finding out how to
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 25

complete a college or scholarship application without a Social Security number usually requires
students to divulge their status to a high school counselor or college admissions counselor
(Chavez et al., 2007; Gonzales, 2012; Oliverez, 2007; W. Perez, 2012). Students must trust the
educator from whom they are requesting help. Conversely, the counselor or staff member must
be able to assist them with this information by understanding how to advise undocumented
students (Gildersleeve & Ranero, 2010; Oliverez, 2007). Therefore, the exploration of the
difficulties of applying for college and funding for undocumented students is necessary.
Undocumented college students can have a difficult time finding accurate information
from faculty and staff members about applying for college (Gildersleeve & Ranero, 2010;
Gleeson & Gonzales, 2012; W. Perez & Cortes, 2011). When AB 540 was passed in 2001, there
were no provisions included in the law that required high school and college faculty and staff to
learn about the rights of students under this law (Public Postsecondary Education: Exemption
from Nonresident Tuition, 2001). No requirements were mandated by the state on how the law
should be implemented or information disseminated to eligible students (Abrego,
2008).Consequently, many Californians were unaware of its passage including high school
counselors (Oliverez, 2006) and college administrators (Gonzales, 2007; Oliverez, 2007; W.
Perez & Cortes, 2011).
Some undocumented high school students studied in California received guidance from
educational professionals including college counselors, teachers, and college personnel
4

(Gonzales, 2008a; W. Perez, 2012). Unfortunately, undocumented students continue to report

4
The issue of assistance from educators extends beyond the state line of California (e.g. Diaz-Strong, Gomez, Luna-
Duarte, & Meiners, 2011; Lopez, 2010). Due to the differences in state laws regarding undocumented students in
higher education and the focus of this study on California, the reports from students studied in California are
prioritized in this review.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 26

that they do not always receive accurate information from these educators. Students stated that
their high school counselors and teachers failed to help them or did not know how to answer
their questions (Chavez et al., 2007; Gonzales, 2012; Oliverez, 2006, 2007). College admissions
and administrative staff members also provided students with inaccurate information (Gonzales,
2012; Martinez-Calderon, 2010; Oliverez, 2006) or did not share information about AB 540 with
students that qualified (Gonzales, 2011; Perez Huber & Malagon, 2007). Why educators do not
disseminate information about AB 540 to students with college aspirations is unclear.
Researchers have concluded that lack of knowledge about the laws and policies regarding
undocumented students’ higher education opportunities (Chavez et al., 2007; W. Perez & Cortes,
2011), large counselor caseloads (Corwin, Venegas, Oliverez, & Colyar, 2004; Gonzales, 2008a;
Martinez-Calderon, 2010), and some counselor’s low educational expectations for
undocumented students (Gleeson & Gonzales, 2012; Martinez-Calderon, 2010) have contributed
to this problem. Evidence from student interviews support these findings, however counselors
themselves have not been asked about the ways in which they guide prospective undocumented
college students. The research about reasons counselors fail to consistently inform students about
AB 540 is incomplete, however student participants from the multiple studies mentioned above
did not always receive adequate information from educational officials placed in helping roles.
High-achieving undocumented students tend to receive better information and support
during their college application period from high school counselors and teachers (Gonzales,
2012; W. Perez & Cortes, 2011). Gonzales (2012) reported that high school counselors and
teachers made phone calls to colleges and universities on behalf of students; collected money to
help students pay for college expenses; and helped students research scholarships that did not
require Social Security numbers. Gonzales attributed this support to students from the
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 27

development of trusting relationships with these counselors and teachers from being enrolled in
college preparatory courses or special academic programs. These classes tend to have smaller
class sizes allowing counselors and teachers to interact more with the exemplary students
identified as college-bound. Gonzales concluded that teachers and counselors were willing to
spend more time assisting students that they perceived as being able to succeed academically in
college.
Some high school teachers as well as college faculty and staff also assist high-achieving
undocumented students once they become college students. W. Perez and Cortes (2011)
surveyed 37 undocumented community college students and interviewed 27. The students
surveyed reported an average high school GPA of 3.14 and college GPA of 3.13. They also
completed an average of 2.14 Advanced Placement (AP) and honors courses in high school (p.
63). Although the achievement among their participants varied, the high-achieving students
interviewed stated that during community college they were motivated to complete their degrees
from inspiring faculty and staff as well as high school teachers who encouraged them to pursue
higher education prior to beginning college. Some high school teachers continued to mentor
students while they were in college. (W. Perez & Cortes, 2011, pp. 65-67). In sum, educators at
the high school and college level can influence undocumented students to pursue higher
education and complete their educational goals.
Educators can also be gatekeepers and discourage undocumented students from
continuing their education past high school. Martinez-Calderon (2010) found that the high-
achieving undocumented students in her study were encouraged and assisted by their counselors
to seek higher education until they notified the counselor of their residency status. Several
students reported that the counselors decreased their contact with students upon hearing this
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 28

information. The students claimed that they had to repeatedly initiate contact with counselors
that had previously offered unsolicited college-going information. Counselors suggested that two
undocumented students continue their studies in Mexico under the guise of offering helpful
advice (Martinez-Calderon, 2010). The inconsistent reports from high-achieving undocumented
students about receiving assistance and support from educators is problematic. In sum, high-
achieving undocumented students cannot always rely on counselors and teachers. Counselors are
also less likely to assist undocumented students desiring a college education who are not
identified as high-achieving. This is why some undocumented students seek out information
from family, friends, and community organizations.
Undocumented students also find out about applying for college from family members.
High school students with older siblings enrolled as AB 540 students can help students navigate
the application process and guide them to trusted counselors and teachers (Gonzales, 2010).
However, AB 540 students that were the first in their family to apply for college also relied on
family members as their main source of information to assist them with college-going (Abrego,
2006; Gonzales, 2008a; Oliverez, 2006). Although many undocumented students have expressed
emotional and financial support from family members, family members do not always know the
latest information about college access laws for undocumented students (Martinez-Calderon,
2010; W. Perez, Cortes, Ramos, & Coronado, 2010). Family members sometimes provide
inaccurate information to these students about their rights to enroll in public institutions via AB
540 and pay in-state tuition rates (Abrego, 2006; Gonzales, 2008a; Oliverez, 2006). Family
members sometimes have out of date information from before AB 540 was enacted causing them
to give erroneous guidance (Gonzales, 2008b). Laws and policies about undocumented students
in higher education in California have changed drastically since the late 1990’s from
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 29

undocumented students being required to pay international tuition rates in 1992 (Bradford v
Regents of the University of California, 1991) to becoming eligible for tuition equity in 2002
(Public Postsecondary Education: Exemption from Nonresident Tuition, 2001). New laws
recently passed in 2011 enabled undocumented students in California to apply for institutional
scholarships (Student Financial Aid: Eligibility: California Dream Act of 2011, 2011) and state
financial aid.(Student Financial Aid, 2011) beginning in 2012. Family members might not
always be privy to these opportunities.
Incorrect or incomplete advice can have dramatic effects on students. Students can
remain confused about whether or not they qualify for AB 540 or if information they receive
about AB 540 is believable. Students have declined admission to universities out of fear that they
would be unable to enroll (Abrego, 2006, pp. 219-220). Others have elected to enter the
workforce and forgo their college aspirations (Gleeson & Gonzales, 2012; Gonzales, 2008a,
2011; Gonzales & Chavez, 2012). Upon hearing about AB 540 from sources outside their school,
students can become discouraged from requesting more information from their counselors who
may give them information inconsistent from advice obtained from family and friends.
Some undocumented students ask counselors or teachers for guidance regarding AB 540
late in their high school career because they are not always aware that they are undocumented.
For many students in this situation, their family members do not inform them of their status until
they ask (Garcia & Tierney, 2011; Perez Huber & Malagon, 2007; W. Perez, 2009). Students
will ask their parents for assistance in completing college paperwork or for a Social Security
number. At this time, their parents have to notify them that they are not citizens or legal
residents. Undocumented students that do not find out about their status until their junior or
senior year of high school have to come to terms with the shock of their new identity and the
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 30

sudden knowledge that they will be denied privileges like their peers of working, driving, and
entering into contracts to rent apartments or obtain car loans (Gonzales, 2008a). Some students
that found out about their status as they were filling out college applications opted to enter the
workforce even though they were college-ready (Gonzales & Chavez, 2012). Due to their lack of
awareness about their status, students determined to go to college have less time to plan
including learning about AB 540, college application procedures, and researching scholarships.
Some undocumented college students that are eligible for AB 540 remain uninformed of
the law even after matriculating to a public college or university so they begin paying out-of-
state tuition (Garcia & Tierney, 2011; Perez Huber & Malagon, 2007). In part, this problem
exists because some college officials are unaware of policies regarding undocumented college
students (Gildersleeve, Rumann, & Mondragon, 2010; Hernandez et al., 2010; W. Perez &
Cortes, 2011). Gildersleeve and Ranero (2010) put the onus of incorporating undocumented
students into college and university life on student affairs professionals. They implore
admissions and outreach staff to understand laws that affect undocumented students regarding
admissions and funding. They present the role of student affairs as one of advocacy and support
for all students. In their observations, student affairs practitioners need to take into account the
lived experiences of undocumented students. By doing so, they will be able to improve their
program offerings to be more inclusive of undocumented students. Although the focus of the
article Gildersleeve and Ranero (2010) is about student affairs professionals, this same logic
should apply to faculty members and other administrators. Ideally, undocumented students
should feel comfortable approaching any faculty or staff member with a question about AB 540
and feel confident they will be directed to an office or individual that can provide them with
assistance. Of primary importance to undocumented students is how to fund their education.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 31

The largest barrier that undocumented college students face is funding their college
education (Chavez et al., 2007; Garcia & Tierney, 2011; Martinez-Calderon, 2010; Oliverez,
2007; W. Perez, 2012). Paying for college is difficult for students from low-income and
working-class families (Oliverez & Tierney, 2005). Undocumented college students are not
eligible for federal financial aid. Additionally, as undocumented Latino students move from
childhood to adulthood most are expected or feel obligated to take on adult roles within their
families including contributing to the family income and assisting with the well-being of the
home and family (Gonzales, 2008a; W. Perez, 2009). For Latino AB 540 students, financing a
college education is complicated by coming from low-income families who can offer meager
assistance; having a restricted number of scholarships that do not require FAFSA documents;
working without a Social Security card; and limited time to engage in creative funding.
For undocumented students, paying for college is complex. Student access to finances is
tightly coupled to the financial situations of their families. The majority of undocumented Latino
students come from low-income families (Fortuny, Capps, Simms, & Chaudry, 2009; Pastor &
Marcelli, 2013). Most families are unable to assist Latino AB 540 students much in paying their
tuition and other educational expenses (Chavez et al., 2007; Gonzales, 2008a). Many
undocumented young adults in college assist their families with rent and purchase family food
and supplies in addition to funding most of their own educational expenses (Gonzales, 2008a,
2010; Perez Huber, 2009; W. Perez, 2009; W. Perez & Cortes, 2011). In some studies, well-
intentioned family members told students that they wanted to help pay college expenses when
they applied to college, but were unable to assist once the students began their coursework
(Oliverez, 2006; Perez Huber & Malagon, 2007; W. Perez, 2009). Other students were hesitant
to accept money from family members because they were aware of their limited finances
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 32

(Oliverez, 2006; Perez Huber & Malagon, 2007). Some undocumented immigrant students
express guilt by prioritizing school expenses over family needs (Gonzales, 2008a, 2010; W.
Perez, 2009; W. Perez & Cortes, 2011). Deciding to go to college can be emotionally taxing for
undocumented Latino students. Many parents have stated that the reason they came to the United
States was to improve the educational opportunities for their children (Suarez-Orozco et al.,
2008). As children become young adults and aware of the financial strain that paying for a
college education will place on their families, their decision to go to college to reach their
educational capacity is intertwined with the state of their families’ financial affairs.
Poverty also plays an important role in college choice (Abrego & Gonzales, 2010;
Chavez et al., 2007; Gonzales, 2009b; W. Perez, 2012). The financial situations of families can
greatly affect the choice of even beginning a college education for students that are college-ready
(Gleeson & Gonzales, 2012; Gonzales, 2011; Oliverez, 2006). Paying for college is difficult for
students from low-income and working-class families (Oliverez & Tierney, 2005). For
undocumented students with few opportunities for family assistance and no federal financial aid,
paying for a university education is often beyond their means when they graduate from high
school (Gleeson & Gonzales, 2012; Gonzales, 2011). Many undocumented students will elect to
attend a community college that costs much less than a public university even if they are
accepted to a university following high school (Garcia, 2011; Oliverez, 2006; W. Perez, 2012).
Family income is of great concern to most undocumented Latino students, but accountability to
the family extends beyond finances.
Although not all undocumented immigrant students have significant responsibilities to
their family’s financial well-being, family relationships and obligations usually play a significant
role of the lives of most undocumented Latino college students. Expanded family duties for
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 33

undocumented college students include caring for younger siblings (Gonzales, 2008a; Martinez-
Calderon, 2010; W. Perez, 2012; W. Perez & Cortes, 2011; Sy, 2006) and language-brokering
(translating for family members in acquiring legal, medical, educational, and other needed
resources) (Sy, 2006). Some students accept their role as contributing providers upon high school
graduation (Gonzales, 2008a). Other students express resentment when expected to take on more
family obligations as young adults (W. Perez, 2012; W. Perez et al., 2010). Overall, family duties
are strenuous and time-consuming, which can limit students’ availability to search for
scholarships, work, and earn money through creative means.
Scholarships for which undocumented students are eligible are difficult to find (Oliverez,
2007). Undocumented students can only apply for privately-funded scholarships that do not
require FAFSA completion (Oliverez, 2007; W. Perez, 2012; W. Perez & Cortes, 2011). For this
reason, only a limited number of scholarship applications are open to undocumented students.
According to Oliverez (2007), many organizations provide scholarship lists for undocumented
students, however these lists quickly become out of date so students must sift through each list to
determine which scholarships are still available (p. 94). The process of finding scholarships takes
time, then students begin the arduous activity of completing applications, writing essays, and
requesting letters of recommendation (Oliverez, 2007, p. 94). The majority of these scholarships
are also available to all college students; increasing the competition for scholarships among
undocumented students and documented students alike (Chavez et al., 2007; Oliverez, 2007).
Little has been written about the lengthy process undocumented students engage in when
securing funding for scholarships. Scholars agree that it is difficult for most undocumented
students to pay for their all college expenses using scholarships (Garcia & Tierney, 2011;
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 34

Oliverez, 2007). Overall, undocumented students cannot rely on scholarships as a main source of
funding their education. They must also work or earn money through entrepreneurial efforts.
Working without a Social Security card usually means being employed in the service
industry or in manual labor for little money. The majority of undocumented Latino students work
long hours in low-paying jobs to pay for their college courses (Chavez et al., 2007; Garcia &
Tierney, 2011; Martinez-Calderon, 2010; Oliverez, 2007; W. Perez, 2012). Most of these jobs
are paid in cash or do not require background checks. Also, because they are unable to work
legally, they are foreclosed from applying for work study (Garcia & Tierney, 2011; Oliverez,
2007) or to be employed on campus as research or student assistants (Gonzales, 2010). Work
study and campus jobs open up opportunities for students such as connecting to a faculty
member that could write a letter of recommendation or gaining work experience in their field of
study. Undocumented students are excluded from these important connections that are available
to other students.
Undocumented students also work as consultants or tutors (Gonzales & Chavez, 2012;
Hernandez et al., 2010; Martinez-Calderon, 2010; Vargas, 2012). Students find other creative
ways to fund their education including fundraising by having car washes, food sales, or selling
handicrafts (Chavez et al., 2007; Perez Huber, 2009; Perez Huber & Malagon, 2007). Other
students have reported that they have been fortunate to obtain sponsors (Garcia, 2011; Garcia &
Tierney, 2011; Gonzales, 2012; Martinez-Calderon, 2010; Oliverez, 2007). Sponsors can include
former teachers (Garcia & Tierney, 2011), family friends (Garcia, 2011; Gonzales, 2012;
Martinez-Calderon, 2010) and mentors (Gonzales, 2008a). Oliverez (2007) has observed
students using a portfolio of their transcripts, resumes, letters of recommendations, and a
personal statement to solicit sponsorships from their personal contacts as well as local businesses
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 35

(p. 94). Paying for books, supplies, food, transportation, tuition, and other expenses can be time-
intensive by applying for scholarships and securing sponsors. These tasks can be overwhelming
in searching for funds that are elusive and difficult to obtain.
At times, undocumented students stop taking classes for a term, a year, or longer to save
enough money to pay for courses (Gonzales, 2011; Perez Huber & Malagon, 2007; W. Perez &
Cortes, 2011). Students often do not know how they are going to pay for each term (Perez Huber
& Malagon, 2007). The stress associated with not knowing if the next round of courses will be
paid for can be emotionally taxing (Gonzales, 2008a; W. Perez & Cortes, 2011). Some
undocumented students drop out of college because they feel that college expenses are too high
(Gonzales, 2008a, 2011). Gonzales (2008a) also observed students moving out of their family
homes due to the humiliation of not being able to assist their families financially or becoming
physically ill due to their stress about finances.
Finding funding is difficult for all low-income students. Undocumented students have
few choices about how they can earn money and secure funding. They cannot apply for financial
aid, obtain loans, or legally work. In order to be able to complete their educational goals,
undocumented students must rely on financial and emotional support from others.
Challenges for Latino AB 540 Students Associated with Residency Status
The legal restrictions associated with being undocumented are magnified once students
advance from high school to college (Gonzales, 2008a; Gonzales, Antonio Garcia, & Castrejon,
2013). Their residency status is questioned more frequently (Gonzales, 2009b, 2011) including
the possibility of being deported to a country of which they might have little or no memory (W.
Perez, 2012). They also begin to encounter a myriad of legal restrictions that were not as
prevalent in their lives as children (Gonzales, 2008a, 2009a; Gonzales et al., 2013). Anti-
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 36

immigrant hostility and discrimination also adds to their concerns (Gonzales, 2009b, 2012;
Gonzales & Chavez, 2012). Students have reported stress from dealing with issues related to
their residency status to illnesses such as ulcers, fatigue, headaches, (Gonzales, 2008a, p. 196;
Gonzales & Chavez, 2012) and depression (Gonzales & Chavez, 2012; W. Perez & Cortes,
2011). Each of these challenges is discussed as reported in the literature in this section.
The fear of deportation has been reported among undocumented students as a concern in
several studies (Garcia & Tierney, 2011; Gonzales, 2008a; Gonzales et al., 2013; Martinez-
Calderon, 2010; W. Perez, 2012; W. Perez & Cortes, 2011). When an undocumented high school
student transitions out of high school to go to college or to work, many of these young people are
confronted for the first time with the possibilities of having to prove their residency and face
deportation (Gleeson & Gonzales, 2010; Gonzales, 2008a). After leaving the cocoon of high
school, undocumented students have felt like they were “living a nightmare” and expressed
feelings of “hopelessness” (Gonzales, 2008a, pp. 190-196; Gonzales & Chavez, 2012) as well as
shame, fear, and anxiety (Gonzales et al., 2013; W. Perez & Cortes, 2011, pp. 50-52).
Fear of deportation is supported by reality. Undocumented students are residing in the
United States without authorization. The number of deportations has decreased over the last three
recorded years from 584,436 in 2009 to 323,542 in 2011 (Simanski & Sapp, 2012). For Latino
students, the reality of deportation remains significant. Latinos overall make up the largest group
of deportees. Mexican nationals have been deported more frequently than individuals from any
other country (Simanski & Sapp, 2012). College students without violent criminal records are to
be given “prosecutorial discretion,” or receive low priority for deportation, due to arriving in the
United States as a child according to the “Morton Memo” issued by the director of Immigration
and Customs Enforcement (ICE) (Morton, 2011). The residency status of a student is also part of
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 37

the student’s record and cannot be revealed by educational officials according to the Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (1974). This does not mean that college students
are not deported or detained by immigration officials; it is just less likely that they will be
deported if they do not commit a felony. The fear associated with deportation among college
students, however, is not diminished due to ICE policies (Gonzales et al., 2013). This fear can
lead to isolation causing students to keep their residency status a secret, which, in turn, can limit
the possibilities of receiving support from educational professionals (Gonzales et al., 2013).
2011 2010 2009

number Percent number Percent number Percent
Total 323,542 100.0% 475,613 100.0% 584,436 100.0%
Mexican 205,811 63.6% 354,507 74.5% 469,610 80.4%
Other 117,731 36.4% 121,106 25.5% 114,826 19.6%
Note. From Simanski and Sapp (2012)
Undocumented students also fear for the deportation of loved ones. They deal with the
reality and fear of parents and family members being deported (Chaudry et al., 2010; Gonzales,
2008a; W. Perez & Cortes, 2011; W. Perez et al., 2010). To add to their stress, undocumented
students are often separated from relatives who reside in their countries of origin without any
possibilities of visiting them in person (Suarez-Orozco et al., 2008). Overall, in the studies cited
above, the stress associated with deportation and separation from family members can weigh
heavily on undocumented college students.
Table 2.1. Aliens Returned by Country of Nationality: Fiscal Years 2009 to 2011
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 38

Additional burdens of undocumented young adults in California include the inability to
get drivers’ licenses, travel via planes or trains, or enter into any legal contracts (Gonzales,
2008a) including those for rental properties, credit cards, and loans. Traveling around their local
area and throughout the state can be very difficult for undocumented students. If undocumented
college students want to drive in California, they cannot obtain drivers’ licenses or purchase car
insurance. If students choose not to drive, they have to rely on friends or family members with
licenses (Gonzales, 2010; W. Perez, 2009). Many undocumented students use public buses as
their primary means of transportation (Garcia & Tierney, 2011; Gonzales, 2010; Gonzales &
Chavez, 2012; Perez Huber & Malagon, 2007). These restrictions influence course choices and
limit involvement in student organizations (Abrego, 2008; Perez Huber, Malagon, & Solorzano,
2009; W. Perez, 2012). Using public transportation can mean long commutes to campus for
students, which restricts students’ time on campus to bus and train schedules.
The difficulties with transportation also affect students’ choices about where to apply for
college (Oliverez, 2006; Perez Huber & Malagon, 2007). Traveling between states or out of the
country is also complicated. Opportunities to travel to academic conferences are restricted to
local venues (Gonzales, 2010) which limits academic and professional development. Driving
without a license and riding public transportation also increases the risk of coming into contact
with police and immigration agents which might lead to being deported (Contreras, 2009;
Gonzales, 2011; Gonzales & Chavez, 2012; Martinez-Calderon, 2010; W. Perez & Cortes,
2011). For these reasons, fear of deportation for themselves is heighted for undocumented
college students who must commute to college as well as move through their communities to
work and go about their daily lives.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 39

Unfortunately, anti-immigrant hostility and discrimination toward Latinos adds to the
difficulties experienced by undocumented students on campus. The stress associated with these
negative sentiments can push some undocumented students to remain in the shadows (Gonzales,
2007, 2008a; Gonzales et al., 2013). Hostility is manifested along a continuum. Blatant anti-
immigrant hostility is easily identified. Students also experience microagressions which are
persistent, often daily feelings of exclusion that leave minority students with a sense of isolation
(Yosso, Smith, Ceja, & Solorzano, 2009). The discriminatory acts of others including flagrant
actions and microaggressions toward Latinos can provoke anxiety, anger, and fear among
undocumented Latino college students resulting in an uncomfortable campus climate and
limiting their choice of interacting with others in the campus community.
Anti-immigrant hostility toward Latinos is well documented (Massey & Sanchez, 2010;
Velez, Perez Huber, Lopez, de la Luz, & Solorzano, 2008). Socially, immigrants have been
stereotyped as a threat to American nationals (Massey & Sanchez, 2010). Politically, laws and
policies and militarization of the US-Mexican border “have been implemented to promote
systematic discrimination” of undocumented immigrants and legal permanent residents (Massey
& Sanchez, 2010, p. 58). Hostility has led to violence toward Latinos and the organization of
vigilante groups to search for undocumented immigrants crossing the border from Mexico.
Hatred projected toward Latinos is real. Attacks include negative media portrayals (Velez
et al., 2008) as well as brazen actions by individuals and groups. Hate crimes against Latinos,
have been labeled by youth perpetrators as “beaner hopping” (Massey & Sanchez, 2010, p. 71),
with the number of reported victims to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) increasing by
30 percent against Latino immigrants and non-immigrants between 2002-2007 (as cited in
Massey & Sanchez, 2010, p. 71). According to the most recent FBI data, 891 incidents based on
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 40

ethnicity or national origin were reported with 58.8 percent deemed “anti-Hispanic” and the rest
(42.2 percent) categorized as “other ethnicity/national origin bias” (Federal Bureau of
Investigation, 2012). The plethora of hate crimes against Latinos merited its own category by the
FBI while all other hate crimes against ethnicity or national origin were aggregated as “other.” It
is also important to note, these figures are underreported by undocumented immigrants that may
have been victimized during this time frame and due to victims’ fear of deportation.
Hostility toward Latino immigrants fuels the creation of organizations called “nativist
extremist” groups that “go beyond advocating for immigration reduction and confront or
physically harass suspected unauthorized immigrants” (Potok, 2013). The Southern Poverty Law
Center (Potok, 2013). Members of one of these groups with headquarters in southern California,
the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, voluntary patrols the US-Mexican border with rifles in
pursuit of undocumented immigrants as they cross the border for the purpose of turning them in
to United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) agents (Gilchrist, 2012; Molina,
2011). “[Minutemen] volunteers often tied undocumented immigration, which they defined as a
crime, to other forms of lawlessness such as drug and people smuggling, identity theft and
document fraud, and gangs (Molina, 2011, p. 104). Extreme hatred directed at undocumented
Latino immigrants perpetuates negative stereotypes and engenders fear among undocumented
immigrants.
In the midst of negative sentiments expressed by extremists in the media and individuals,
AB 540 students depend on United States citizens to support them in their efforts to continue to
live, study, and work in this country. AB 540 students face uncertainty because they need
citizens to change federal laws to enable them to secure permanent residency or citizenship in a
country they have lived in for the majority of their lives. Unfortunately, AB 540 students must
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 41

also face the prospect of not being able to work in their field of study after they have completed
their degrees
5
(Abrego & Gonzales, 2010; Gonzales, 2011; Gonzales & Chavez, 2012; Martinez-
Calderon, 2010; W. Perez, 2009). Many undocumented students have expressed their desire to
obtain a college education in case their residency status changes or federal immigration laws are
enacted that would enable them to apply for jobs requiring a college degree (Gonzales, 2009b;
Gonzales & Chavez, 2012; W. Perez, 2009). Under current laws, if they choose not to pursue a
degree or cannot afford to continue their education, they are forced to enter the undocumented
“underground” labor market (Gleeson & Gonzales, 2012). Many of the jobs available to
individuals without Social Security numbers involve arduous manual labor or strenuous work in
the service sector (Fortuny, Capps, & Passel, 2007; Pastor & Marcelli, 2013). Undocumented
immigrants with college degrees increase their chances of upward mobility if immigration
policies are reformed.
Change in residency status is difficult, but is a possibility. Kaushal (2008) examined
Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) data for 1990–1999 and found that during this time
period, 1.37 million undocumented persons adjusted their status to legal residents (pp. 774-775).
CIS no longer reports these data (Kaushal, 2008), so it is unclear how many undocumented
immigrants were able to become United States citizens or legal residents. Debates about issues

5
On June 15, 2012 Janet Napolitano, United States Secretary of Homeland Security issued a memo to the
Department of Homeland Security to exercise discretion and grant work permits to individuals under the age of 31
who were brought to the United States before the age of 16, have continuously lived in the United States, and have
not been convicted of a felony, a significant misdemeanor offense, or multiple misdemeanor offenses. This policy
is called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began
issuing work permits in August 2012. Deportation deferments and work permits are to last for two years and are
renewable (Napolitano, 2012). President Barack Obama delivered a speech on national television that same day
outlining the conditions of the memo (Obama, 2012). All interviews for this dissertation were completed before
the first DACA applications were approved. For this reason, undocumented students interviewed for this study
were unable to obtain work authorization to apply for jobs requiring Social Security numbers in the United States
throughout data collection.

AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 42

related to immigration are raised daily in all branches of the government. While the prospects for
undocumented immigrants to change their status is in hands of government officials and voters,
undocumented college students and recent graduates must wait to find out if they will be able to
utilize their academic credentials once they complete their academic goals.
Sources of Support for Latino AB 540 Students
Undocumented students persist in college with a support system consisting of families,
friends, social and political organizations, mentors, and educators. Most of these individuals and
groups provide emotional support (Gonzales et al., 2013; Perez Huber, 2009; W. Perez & Cortes,
2011). They also bolster students to succeed by delivering resources and knowledge (Gonzales,
2010, 2012). Families and friends offer encouragement, personal guidance, and financial
assistance when possible (Martinez-Calderon, 2010; Perez Huber & Malagon, 2007). Social and
political organizations provide undocumented students information on current laws, an outlet for
expressing beliefs, and experience in grassroots organizing (Abrego, 2008; Gonzales, 2008b; W.
Perez, 2012; Terriquez, Rogers, Vargas-Johnson, & Patler, 2013). Mentors bestow wisdom about
life experiences and insight on career aspirations (Gonzales, 2012). Educators supply knowledge
about college-going and information about educational policies and practices (Gonzales, 2012).
The resources provided often overlap giving them options on where to seek assistance. Some
students have stronger support networks than others. Without a viable support system, students
can experience isolation and despair which can lead to dropping out and entering the
undocumented workforce (Gonzales, 2008a). Most undocumented workers have low-paying and
often labor-intensive jobs (Gleeson & Gonzales, 2012; Gonzales & Chavez, 2012). Going to
college does not preclude students from working while undocumented during college, however,
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 43

it can improve their opportunities for less strenuous work and their career chances if their
residency status changes or legal restrictions are lifted.
Families are important to student success. Immigrant parents often cite their primary
reason for coming to the United States with their children was to improve their children’s’ lives
(Massey & Sanchez, 2010; W. Perez, 2012; Suarez-Orozco et al., 2008). Parents provide
students with much needed love and support (Martinez-Calderon, 2010; Perez Huber, 2009; P.
A. Perez & Rodriguez, 2011; W. Perez et al., 2010; Sy, 2006). Undocumented siblings or family
members with college experience can also assist their younger relatives by connecting them to
resources (Gonzales, 2010). Hurtado, Carter, & Spuler (1996) found that Latino students found
their families instrumental in supporting them emotionally through their first year. Maintaining
family support was linked to positive emotional adjustment (1996, p. 147). Although many
families cannot support their college students financially, families often provide much needed
emotional support.
Family configurations can be complicated and complex. Many undocumented immigrants
leave their country of origin knowing that reunification with family members and loved ones in
their countries of origin is difficult or impossible. Families sometimes immigrate in stages with
the father or mother preceding the rest of the family to find work and a place to live (Martinez-
Calderon, 2010; Suarez-Orozco et al., 2008). During the time the initial immigrant adjusts, he or
she develops a social support network in order to survive. Once families come together in the
United States, the outcome can be very positive and the family becomes a united body once
again (Suarez-Orozco et al., 2008). However, separation can lead to strained relationships
between couples and/or children causing a disruption in the family unit (Gonzales, 2008a;
Oliverez, 2006). A parent can also get deported (Chaudry et al., 2010). A single parent, often a
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 44

mother, finds herself as the sole provider (Chaudry et al., 2010). She will develop a network
from her community in order to work and raise her children. Connections with others through
this process serve the purpose of obtaining resources including social connections and
employment.
Families teach their children important social networking skills that they have utilized to
survive. Many Latino immigrant families develop strong bonds with each other for emotional
support and to share resources including child care and knowledge about community
opportunities, job prospects, and legal information (Perez Huber, 2010). Children learn how to
network by observing their parents which becomes a skill that can help them throughout their
lives (Perez Huber, 2009; Stanton-Salazar, 2001). Undocumented Latino immigrant families
often network with extended families, neighbors, and co-workers (Perez Huber, 2009; Stanton-
Salazar, 2001). Mexican families call these extended family members compadres, literally
translated this means “co-parents” and is an intentional networking method used to strengthen
the family (Stanton-Salazar, 2001). Developing social support networks among educators allows
students to use similar skills, but as young adults, understanding which individuals with whom
they should connect and to what degree they should persist in pursing those relationships can be
difficult to negotiate. When educators reach out to students and encourage bonding,
undocumented students can benefit from these relationships.
Some undocumented students are successful at creating helpful support networks in
college because their families have modeled this process to them (Perez Huber, 2009). Gonzales
(2008a) found that undocumented Latino students that had experienced building supportive
relationships with educators or mentors prior to going to college were able to establish helpful
relationships more easily once they started college. The challenge reported by Latino students is
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 45

the persistent feelings of isolation and alienation as a result of institutional racism (Yosso et al.,
2009). Institutional racism can hamper a student’s ability to connect to others on campus
(Martinez-Calderon, 2010). A coping method of finding a sense of family, home, or camaraderie
is for students to find a counterspace that provides them a setting in which they can interact with
students like themselves (Carter, 2007; Harper, 2006; Yosso et al., 2009). One type of
counterspace for undocumented students in California is AB 540 student organizations. Many
students are able to find emotional support and expand their resources from peers, community-
based organizations and AB 540 campus student clubs.
Latino students develop a sense of belonging among college friends to find a “sense of
home” in order to overcome adversity and isolation. Peer relationships have often been
acknowledged as a source for Latino AB 540 students to find a sense of belonging on a college
campus (Contreras, 2009; Hurtado & Carter, 1997; Hurtado, Clayton-Pedersen, Allen, & Milem,
1998). Specifically, students develop friendships (Attinasi, 1996; Martinez Aleman, 1997) and
learn important academic information (Attinasi, 1996). Undocumented students also engage in
student activism as part of organized groups which helps them to connect with peers with shared
political views.
AB 540 clubs and community organizations often provide an outlet for student activism.
Student activism gives students a sense of purpose and allows them to share their beliefs and
experiences with the campus community and the general public (Chavez et al., 2007; Gonzales,
2008a; Oliverez, 2006; Perez Huber, 2009; Terriquez et al., 2013). Student activism is very
empowering for undocumented students and also serves as a method for overcoming adversity to
combat hostility and microagresssions (Abrego & Gonzales, 2010; Galindo, 2011; Gonzales,
2008b; Terriquez et al., 2013; Velez et al., 2008). Yosso et al. (2009) states,
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 46

Though certainly injured by racial microaggressions, Latinas/os do not consider
themselves helpless victims. They respond to the rejection they face from a
negative campus racial climate by building communities that represent and reflect
the cultural values of their home community. (p. 680)
Velez et al. (2008) distinguish two forms of activism – indirect and direct. Direct
activism “consists of overt political acts of protest that often involve the physical body as a
vehicle for protest, including walkouts. sit-ins, or wearing clothing with political slogans that
represent the movement (Velez et al., 2008, p. 16).
In the case of youth, indirect activism often means acting in a way deemed
appropriate by school authorities. Indirect activism does not equate to a lack of
protest. On the contrary, youth who employed indirect activism… [participated]
in activities such as writing biographies of their lives and those of their families
and friends who are immigrants, or by mentoring and informing peers about the
immigration debate and the problems it would create for Latina/o communities.
(Velez et al., 2008, p. 16)
AB 540 students engage in direct and indirect activism. Direct activism is evidenced by some
students who have been vocal in “coming out” in the media individually and collectively during
protests (Galindo, 2011; Terriquez et al., 2013; Vargas, 2012), on the internet
(DreamActivist.org, 2012; United We Dream, 2012), as well as to friends, college officials, and
community members (Gonzales, 2008b; Terriquez et al., 2013; Velez et al., 2008). Students from
AB 540 clubs have advocated for themselves and other undocumented students during
testimonies in front of state and federal legislative groups (Gonzales, 2008b; Gonzales &
Chavez, 2012; Perez Huber, 2009; Seif, 2004). Student activism about the rights of
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 47

undocumented students and immigrants’ rights has assisted other students and the public at large
to become more aware of issues affecting immigrants as well as the benefits immigrants provide
to the United States.
Immigration reform is an important topic among government officials. However, the
details of how students can utilize the opportunities afforded by tuition equity laws are not often
included in public forums. Undocumented students are confused about tuition equity laws or
completely oblivious. For this reason, in California AB 540 student organizations engage in
indirect activism by educating other students (Gonzales, 2010) and conducting outreach to high
school students (Chavez et al., 2007). In AB 540 clubs, students build friendships with other
undocumented students as well as find out about scholarships, fundraising, legal issues, and
volunteer experiences (Gonzales, 2008a; Oliverez, 2007; Perez Huber, 2009; W. Perez, 2012).
Community organizations dedicated to immigrants’ rights work with campus clubs and can serve
as supportive counterspaces for undocumented students if a club does not exist on their campus
(Gonzales, 2008a; Terriquez et al., 2013). They also help students to connect with other local
students at neighboring high schools and colleges as well as community supporters (Gonzales,
2008a; Terriquez et al., 2013). Being involved in campus and community-based organizations
also encourages undocumented youth to seek higher education. In a study of 2200 undocumented
youth over the age of 18, Terriquez and Patler (2012) found that out of the 410 participants
identified as leaders in immigrant rights organizations, 95% had enrolled in some form of
postsecondary education compared to 79% of the total population studied (p. 2). When AB 540
was passed without guidelines on how to implement the law, student organizations and
community groups took on the responsibility of educating members and college officials about
the intricacies of the law as well as ways in which AB 540 students might seek funding for their
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 48

education (Chavez et al., 2007; Gonzales, 2008a). Outreach conducted by campus and
community-based organizations help younger students learn about AB 540 as well as give them a
resource to rely on when they complete the transition to college.
Individuals can also engage in indirect activism as part of a student organization or on
their own. An example of an AB 540 student involved indirect activism is when the student
identifies themselves as AB 540 student and shares their story. After AB 540’s passage in 2001,
students have been empowered by constructing an AB 540 identity (Abrego, 2008; Abrego &
Gonzales, 2010). Abrego (2008) found that undocumented students in California use the label
“AB 540 student” to legitimize their status as students and helped remove the stigma associated
with being “illegal” in the eyes of the law. By calling themselves “AB 540 students,” they
emphasize their legal right to be students at California institutions of higher education (Abrego &
Gonzales, 2010). Similarly, at a national level, many undocumented students have identified with
the label of “DREAMer” to show that they would benefit directly from the passage of the federal
DREAM Act. Students engage in campus and community organizations that support
undocumented students and undocumented immigrants at large. As Gonzales, C. Suarez-Orozco,
and Dedios-Sanguineti (2013) observed, “for many college-going respondents, this civic work
often turned into a virtuous circle where, by helping others, they found a sense of purpose and a
role that served to augment their own well-being” (p. 1190). The external support from
participating in organizations for immigrants on and off-campus helps college students to
continue to pursue higher education despite difficult barriers and negative forces.
Social peer networks, such as AB 540 student organizations, assist undocumented
students in finding out about college admissions, other college information (i.e. AB 540,
scholarships, college requirements, etc.) and financial support (Gonzales, 2008a; Oliverez, 2007;
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 49

Perez Huber, 2009; W. Perez, 2012). Immigrant students studied reported that they did not have
an adult to guide them or they relied regularly on one or two helpful adults including mentors
from the community, teachers, or counselors (Oliverez, 2006; Stanton-Salazar, 2001; Stanton-
Salazar & Dornbusch, 1995; Suarez-Orozco et al., 2008). Undocumented students need to
engage with educators in order to accomplish their goals. High school and college officials need
to provide documentation such as transcripts for students to apply for AB 540 status. Letters of
recommendation by school and college officials are needed for college scholarships. Most
importantly, access to faculty and staff members who support AB 540 students assists college
students in transitioning to college, transferring if they are enrolled in community colleges, and
completing their college degrees.
Support from adults outside the family circle has been observed as limited. Immigrant
children interviewed in several empirical studies only had one or two educators that they
acknowledged as a mentor (Oliverez, 2006; Stanton-Salazar, 2001; 2008). Although many
students included in these studies were first-generation college attendees, forty percent of
students relied on family members as their primary resource for college-going information
(Suarez-Orozco et al., 2008, p. 86). Others in Suarez-Orozco, Suarez-Orozco, and Todorova’s
(2008) study utilized school officials or staff members from after-school programs (28%) (p. 86).
Unfortunately, Oliverez (2006) commented, advice from school mentors was usually requested
in times of desperation such as right before a scholarship or application deadline (p. 229).
However, twenty percent of students in Suarez-Orozco, Suarez-Orozco, and Todorova’s (2008)
study reported that they had no resources that provided college-going information (pp. 86-87).
As discussed earlier, some family members might not understand the details of tuition equity
laws, like AB 540, and might provide inaccurate information to students (Abrego, 2006;
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 50

Gonzales, 2008a). For this reason, having a non-kin adult, especially an educator, who can give
detailed guidance about application procedures, scholarships, and resources to potential
undocumented college students is imperative for undocumented students to complete the
transition from high school to college.
Discussion Undocumented Latino Students Access to Higher Education in California
In sum, once a student enters a community college and is able to obtain AB 540 status, he
or she continues to face difficulties. Obstacles such as understanding college policies and
procedures and learning about the transfer process are some of the issues with which they must
deal similar to other low-income first-generation Latino students (Bensimon & Dowd, 2009;
Bensimon et al., 2007; Dowd et al., 2013; Mmeje, 2012). However, unlike their documented
counterparts, AB 540 students continue to struggle with issues including legal limitations,
obtaining funds for their education and other expenses, and anxiety about deportation. When
college officials are not informed about AB 540 and other laws that pertain to undocumented
students or the daily challenges that some undocumented students face, they cannot fully assist
undocumented students who might come to them for guidance. Finding adequate assistance from
college officials can be complicated for undocumented students. AB 540 students have to
identify individuals that are trustworthy and aware of resources on their campus, in the
community, and at universities where they might transfer. Undocumented students who are also
from Latino backgrounds face additional challenges when faculty and staff members fail to reach
out to students, connect to them personally, and integrate them into programs that prepare them
for transferring to a university (Bensimon et al., 2007; Pak et al., 2006).
Studies on first-generation Latino community college students found that students could
not identify a college official who they relied on for support or only had trusting relationships
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 51

with only one or two individuals (Bensimon & Dowd, 2009; Bensimon et al., 2007; Dowd et al.,
2013; Mmeje, 2012; Pak et al., 2006). Undocumented students interviewed for several studies
mentioned briefly that they had been mentored or assisted by a college official (Gonzales, 2012;
Martinez-Calderon, 2010; W. Perez & Cortes, 2011). College faculty and staff members have
also noted that they have assisted undocumented students (W. Perez & Cortes, 2011). However,
the relationships between undocumented students and college officials have not been the focus of
any study to date. The details of these relationships, especially the types of resources supplied by
collegiate faculty and staff members and verified by undocumented students is absent from the
research.
Overall, educators need to be prepared to support undocumented Latino students in
intentional ways. The burden of seeking out assistance and evaluating if an educational
professional can be trusted with such personal information, like one’s residency status, is not the
sole responsibility of undocumented students. By openly showing support of immigrant students,
providing resources, and embedding students in social networks, educators can assist
undocumented students in fulfilling their educational goals. In the next section, proactive
educational officials who engage in these types of activities, called institutional agents, are
described in more detail.
Institutional Agents
An institutional agent utilizes his or her position, status, and authority within a hierarchal
educational system to funnel institutional support in the form of highly valued resources,
opportunities, privileges, and services toward underrepresented students of color, working-class,
first-generation college, and immigrant students for their educational benefit and achievement
(Stanton-Salazar, 2011). An institutional agent is a non-family authority figure in a high status
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 52

position of power who guides students with low social status by sharing his or her positional and
personal resources (knowledge and networks), developing programs, and influencing systematic
change (Dowd et al., 2013). Students are directly supported by an institutional agent in
navigating complicated academic requirements and application procedures; validating students’
educational aspirations; and providing students with a sense of belonging (Dowd et al., 2013).
The most notable contribution to the literature in higher education from studies of
institutional agents is the understanding of the behaviors and actions of institutional agents at the
micro level in assisting underserved students successfully transition to colleges and universities,
become integrated into campus life, prepare for graduate school and careers, and graduate with
the tools to succeed beyond the undergraduate experiences. These behaviors and actions by
institutional agents in providing resources to underserved students were categorized through
qualitative data analyses, which led to the development of Stanton-Salazar’s social network
framework (2011, p. 1081). This section begins with an overview of the social network
framework followed by examples by institutional agents found in the literature that illustrate the
micro-level roles identified in the framework.
Social Network Framework
A growing body of empirical research on institutional agents using a social network
framework (Stanton-Salazar, 2011) has emerged that examines institutional agents that work
with high school and college students. It is during these developmental years that adolescents
move from dependence on family members to educational officials in positions of power to
provide resources and knowledge to promote students from high school to college graduation.
The critical time from applying to college to college matriculation has been referred to as a “rite
of passage” students experience as they move from an identity as an adolescent to one as an adult
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 53

(Gonzales, 2008a). Undocumented students described this time “stressful” and living a
“nightmare” instead of enjoyable like their United States citizen peers they have studied with for
many years. Adolescents become more engaged with authority figures, groups, networks, within
the “sociocultural worlds of the family, community, peer group, the school and other
predominant institutions (e.g., police and judicial system; the labor sector)” (Stanton-Salazar,
2011, p. 1069). United States born students get their driver’s licenses, their first job, and apply
for federal financial aid and college. Undocumented students cannot legally drive or work, nor
can they apply for federal financial aid. However, they can apply for college and begin their
collegiate careers. Institutional agents work with undocumented students daily and have the
potential of assisting them through this key time in their lives.
Stanton Salazar (2011) identifies four key roles in which institutional agents engage:
direct support, integrative support, system development, and system linkage and networking
support. An institutional agent “mobilizes” intuitional support to benefit low-status students by
using “his or her position, status and authority, or exercises key forms of power, and/or uses his
or her reputation, in a strategic and supportive fashion” (Stanton-Salazar, 2011, p. 1076). Each
of these roles are described below with examples from the educational literature to illustrate how
each has manifested in educational settings.
Institutional agents offers direct support when they provide personal and positional
resources. Personal resources are in the possession of individual institutional agents and can be
given freely without approval from a higher authority (Stanton-Salazar, 2011, p. 1079). Personal
resources can include knowledge such as information about scholarships. Positional resources
are connected to an organization, network, institution, or social system (Stanton-Salazar, 2011, p.
1100).
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 54

At community colleges, institutional agents can assist students in transferring to
baccalaureate-granting institutions by offering direct support through personal and positional
resources. Based on Stanton-Salazar’s understanding of institutional agents, a definition for
“transfer agents” was coined by Pak et al. (2006). Transfer agents are teachers, counselors, or
other authority figures that assist students in achieving their transfer goals (Pak et al., 2006, p. 6).
They provide direct support by providing information about transfer procedures and offering
guidance and motivation for students to pursue bachelor’s degrees Transfer agents, as described
by the students in the study, seemed to have an “internal drive” to assist students in transferring,
validating students’ goals, and providing students with a sense of belonging (p. 7). Without the
direct resources provided by transfer agents, community college students might miss important
opportunities to increase their time toward transferring. For example, community college
students who had the intention of transferring to a university, did not require much remedial
coursework, and did not transfer, reported that they lacked access to direct resources that could
have been provided transfer agents. These resources included time with counselors and transfer
information. They accumulated too many credits and took courses that were not transferable. The
students stated that the location of a transfer center was difficult to find so students missed
opportunities to interact with university admissions recruiters. All of these factors led to anxiety
about transferring (Bensimon et al., 2007, pp. 33-37). Transfer agents can counteract these issues
by utilizing positional resources. Transfer agents that are community college counselors, can
involve faculty members to create a transfer culture and present transfer information in class. In
the study by Bensimon et al. (2007, pp. 33-37) transfer agents directly supported students and
improved the conditions for students to successfully transfer by improving the transfer website
and visibility of the transfer center; improving electronic communication between students, staff,
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 55

and faculty members; and actively participating in recruitment activities with students. Dowd
and Bensimon (Dowd et al., 2006) concluded that transfer agents are necessary for students to
successfully transfer in order for students to feel supported at a relational level, understand
complicated information such as policies and practices at a structural level, from a culturally
sensitive perspective.
In a study of the life histories of nontraditional students (Latino students on the West
Coast and nontraditional age students on the East Coast) who successfully transferred to
universities, transfer programs provided much needed direct support. On the West Coast a
transfer program director was identified as an institutional agent as was an academic dean on the
East Coast. The students interviewed described these individuals as advocates that acted on their
behalf and were available when needed. They acted as resource agents by providing personal
resources in the form of money to assist a student with rent. They also served as knowledge
agents by assisting a student to find an academic advisor. They also aided a student as an advisor
by supporting a student to drop her Latin class with dignity (Dowd et al., 2013, p. 17). Students
were open to receiving direct support from these institutional agents because they developed
rapports with these individuals and the institutional agents earned their trust. The institutional
agents made themselves available to the students and the students were able to benefit from these
relationships especially in their times of need.
Mmeje (2012) also studied a special “transfer academy” that was developed at a
California community college based on the work on transfer agents (Bensimon et al., 2007;
Dowd et al., 2006; Pak et al., 2006). The transfer academy helped students connect with transfer
agents in order to receive direct support in the form of resources and opportunities that enabled
them to successfully transfer. In all these studies, a necessary step for student success was for
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 56

transfer agents to actively reach out to students (Bensimon et al., 2007; Dowd et al., 2006; Dowd
et al., 2013; Mmeje, 2012; Pak et al., 2006) Like all institutional agents, transfer agents do not
expect students to seek them out. They understand that many students that might need assistance
in transferring are first-generation college students who might be unaware where to begin on a
transfer path. Transfer agents speak about their programs in classrooms and have faculty
members actively promote their programs to inform as many students as possible
Integrative support occurs when institutional agents incorporate students into
professional networks and associations. Students are exposed to funds of knowledge and career
opportunities not readily available without these connections. Examples of integrative agents
include “Professor David Ramirez” who arranged gatherings at his house between Latino
undergraduate students and graduate students in STEM fields. The power in connecting young
undergraduates with graduate students that have recently completed the transition to graduate
school is empowering for these students. Professor Ramirez also integrates students into his
professional organization of Chicano and Native American scholars and scientists. (Bensimon et
al., in press, pp. 28-29) Another professor at different university, “Professor Tovar” acts as an
integrative agent by encouraging Latino students to request to be lab assistants while lobbying
some of his colleagues to give these students the opportunity to work in their labs. Professor
Tovar works behind the scenes to initiate contact with both the students and the faculty members
in order to facilitate positive results. (Bensimon et al., in press, pp. 28-29) The examples of these
integrative agents illuminate the ways in which individual faculty members and administrators
can use their influence and power to integrate students into networks that can facilitate Latino
students to pursue STEM careers where Latinos are highly underrepresented.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 57

A system developer is an institutional agent who develops programs that will embed
students – some of whom the individual will never meet – in a system of agents, resources, and
opportunities (Bensimon et al., in press, p. 16). A system developer will structure the selection of
faculty members who share a critical consciousness about inequities in education. They will also
actively recruit underserved students to participate in programs that promote upward mobility
such as an undergraduate research program with a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering,
and Math) emphasis (Bensimon et al., in press).
Institutional agents can also develop systems to incorporate students into the campus
culture. Institutional agents are aware of campus climate and strive to give students a sense of
belonging (Dowd et al., 2013). A strong sense of belonging to a campus has been linked to
Latino college persistence (Attinasi, 1989; Hurtado & Carter, 1997; Hurtado et al., 1996). A lack
of connection to an institution could cause feelings of alienation and isolation. The subsequent
behavior could be dropping out or feeling like an outsider (Hurtado et al., 1998). Belonging to a
campus for undocumented college students could mean having college staff and faculty members
understand AB 540 and the complex legal situations of undocumented students (Perez Huber &
Malagon, 2007). Latino AB 540 students, like other minority students, can gain a sense of
belonging by institutional agents involving them in formal structures such as academic programs
such as honors programs, learning communities, or special programs for minority students for
which they qualify.
Institutional agents who supply system linkages and networking support act at a systems
and structural level and tend to articulate an explicit agenda to use resources and support
structures within their areas of authority to increase the educational opportunities of racialized
students (Bensimon et al., in press, p. 16). To develop system linkages, these institutional agents
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 58

need to have broad networks with decision-making faculty members and administrators. At a
state flagship university, department chair “Professor Ramirez” influenced the science
department at a nearby Hispanic Serving community college to align their courses with the ones
offered at the university. This enabled students to transfer directly into the university after
completing their community college work. He also worked with another professor who reached
out to the local high schools to design a more rigorous curriculum so students were more
prepared upon high school graduation to succeed in science courses. (Bensimon et al., in press,
pp. 31-32).
In sum, institutional agents have been identified through empirical observations as
providers of key resources to underrepresented students of color. The development of social
networks that include institutional agents have been acknowledged as a means to success for
Latino students and other students with low social ties in gaining access to universities
(Bensimon & Dowd, 2009; Bensimon et al., 2012; Bensimon et al., 2007; Dowd et al., 2013;
Harper, 2009; Kimura-Walsh, Yamamura, Griffin, & Allen, 2009; Mmeje, 2012; Pak et al.,
2006; Stanton-Salazar, 2001; Stanton-Salazar & Dornbusch, 1995) and career pathways that are
underrepresented by minorities (Bensimon et al., 2012; Bensimon et al., in press; Dowd,
Malcom, & Macias, 2010; Griffin, Perez, Holmes, & Mayo, 2010; Malcom, Dowd, & Yu, 2010).
Institutional agents motivated by social equity and social justice can reallocate resources (such as
college preparatory curriculum and information about college-going) and opportunities (like
tutoring and internships) to students with low social status through a process of counter
stratification (Stanton-Salazar, 2011).
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 59

Institutional Agents Differ from Mentors
Peers and family members offer needed encouragement for students to succeed. however
institutional agents provide resources for students to gain college access. For undocumented
youth, peers and family members can offer advice, emotional and financial support, and
friendship (Martinez-Calderon, 2010; Perez Huber, 2009). They can also connect students to
institutional agents by bridging them to their own social networks (Garcia, 2011). Mentors that
are not associated with a school also provide academic, psychosocial, interpersonal, and career
development support (Nora & Crisp, 2009 as cited in Bensimon, et. al., in press). Unfortunately,
mentors and other non-kin adults may not have the social capital to exert authority over a
gatekeeping school official or connect a young person to a peer group dedicated to college-going
or college-preparatory curriculum (Stanton-Salazar, 2011). This is the reason why institutional
agents are defined as having sources of knowledge and influential connections that they are
willing to share with developing young adults.
Another key difference between peers, family members, and mentors and institutional
agents is institutional agents have the ability to affect change at a structural level (Bensimon et
al., in press). Many institutional agents provide direct support like peers, family members, and
mentors, however institutional agents can push a step further by initiating changes to assist more
than a single need for an individual student. For instance, they assist students of color by
soliciting funds for college enrichment programs and lobbying for state and federal resources
(Bensimon et al., in press). The merit of an institutional agent is based on the strength of his or
her own social network and his or her ability to empower youth with limited non-kin
connections.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 60

Empowerment Agents
An institutional agent who possesses the motivation and ideological consciousness to act
counter to established and hierarchical social structures on behalf of low-status youth can be
labeled an empowerment agent (Stanton-Salazar, 2011, p. 1090). Stanton-Salazar (2011, p. 1090)
identifies the five characteristics of an empowerment agent as:
3. The degree to which they are aware of the social structural forces within
society and within their institution that function to problematize the
success of low-status students (e.g., low financial resources, lack of
recruitment, and retention efforts);
4. On their level of critical awareness that the success of low-status students
or youth within the institution is contingent on their receiving systematic
and tailored provisions of “institutional support”;
5. On their willingness to not act on the established rules of social structure
that serve the purpose of consolidating resources within the upper levels of
the hierarchy (e.g., advocating only for students in advanced placement
courses);
6. On the contents of their identity and their ideological commitments –
particularly, on whether they identify themselves as one of those agents
responsible for advocating on behalf of the low-status students and for
providing them with varied forms of “institutional support”; and
7. Their motivation and willingness to be identified by the larger personnel
community that they are an advocate and an agent for low-status students.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 61

Another significant quality of an empowerment agent is a motivation driven by a “critical
consciousness” of structural racism within educational institutions and society (Stanton-Salazar,
2011). Stanton-Salazar (2011) explains the empowerment of institutional agents to become a
“moral agent for positive change in the world that both agent and youth inhabit” (p. 1091).
Similarly, Gonzales, C. Suarez-Orozco, and Dedios-Sanuineti (2013) called these reciprocal
benefits to undocumented students and civic leaders who engaging in community organizations
as a “virtuous circle” (p. 1190). Students are inspired to become entrenched in the institutional
social networks of empowerment agents and to develop ties on their own with key contacts that
can help them achieve their ultimate academic goals.
Stanton Salazar (2011) incorporated the Freire’s (1993) concept of “conscientizacao,” or
“critical consciousness,” to further refine the notion of “empowerment social capital” (pp. 1090-
1091). “Conscientizacao” is “the ability to perceive and interrogate the social, political, and
economic forms of oppression that shape one’s life and to take collective action against such
elements of society (or social structure)” (Stanton-Salazar, 2011, pp. 1090-1091). Authentic
empowerment gives agency to students in which the institutional agent not only enables the
student, but participates with them in creating change. The institutional agent facilitates students
to see the connection with their goals and how to achieve them as well develop a process for
assessing what resources are necessary and how to acquire them in order to sustain continued
progress throughout their lives (Zimmerman, 1995, p. 583 as cited in Stanton-Salazar, 2011, p.
1093). Empowerment also comprises of challenging students to see the barriers or hindrances to
reaching their goals and to utilize their networks to mobilize for collective action. In essence,
students learn to “decode the system” and utilize resources of others or within the institution by
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 62

receiving support by institutional agents. Stanton-Salazar (2011) calls this “empowerment social
capital” (pp. 1093-1094).
Empowerment agents speak openly about societal inequities in order to help students
learn to navigate through societal barriers. For community college students, this is important for
students to succeed in college and beyond. Students need to engage in opportunities that will
help them form networks on their own outside the institution with the understanding of
hegemony in our current society. Institutional agents with an empowerment agenda give students
the tools to expand their networks by connecting them with individuals from their networks as
well as locating key individuals that will help students fulfill their collegiate and life goals.
Discussion of Institutional Agents
Institutional agents interact with students in intentional ways to guide students toward
college, achieve college degrees, and prepare them for the future. Institutional agents that choose
to work with undocumented students are keenly aware of racial inequities in society. For this
reason, the categories of intuitional agents by Stanton Salazar (2011) and how they have been
studied were selected for this review. The framework, which includes distinct categories,
provides a useful means of analyzing behaviors and actions of institutional agents.
These interactions of undocumented youth with educators are stymied with the additional
pressure of deciding which institutional actors can be trusted with the knowledge of their
undocumented residency status (Gonzales et al., 2013; Martinez-Calderon, 2010; W. Perez &
Cortes, 2011). Identifying an institutional agent with a clear grasp of the laws and policies
regarding undocumented students in higher education as well as societal pressures can be elusive
for AB 540 students (Chavez et al., 2007; Gonzales, 2007, 2009b; Oliverez, 2006, 2007).
Interactions with police, immigration officials, and employers become contentious as students
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 63

take on adult activities such as commuting by public bus, driving without the opportunity to get a
driver’s license, and working without residency papers (Abrego & Gonzales, 2010; Gleeson &
Gonzales, 2012; Gonzales, 2008a, 2009a).
Undocumented students are in a quandary during this life change from adolescence to
adulthood. Revealing their status might assist undocumented students in their collegiate pursuits,
however the risk involved in sharing this information has the potential of drawing attention to the
documentation status of themselves and their families. For this reason, institutional agents need
to gain the trust of AB 540 students in order to tie them into supportive networks. Institutional
actors can assist undocumented students even if they do not possess an empowerment
perspective. For instance, they can offer resources such as knowledge about transferring and
scholarships. They can assist them in gaining access to honors programs and leadership
positions. Overall, they can help undocumented students within the confines of the social order
complete their education. Empowerment agents that support undocumented college students
work within the system as well as counter to the system when the system needs to be adjusted or
reworked.
Summary Literature Review
This literature review served two purposes. First, the literature on the daily trials of
undocumented Latino students in California was explored. Second, studies on institutional agents
who connect with youth of color were presented. Both sets of literature are small, yet
burgeoning. As more undocumented Latino students enroll in college, researchers will continue
to publish more studies allowing a more nuanced understanding of this group of students with
unique experiences. Similarly, studies on institutional agents based on the framework by
Stanton-Salazar (2011) will continue to influence future research.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 64

The construct of empowerment agent is a new theoretical concept that evolved from
studies of institutional agents. Empowerment agents work with students without socio-economic
power from a social justice perspective to change the world into a more equitable society. The
theoretical characteristics of empowerment agents proposed by Stanton-Salazar (2011) have not
been studied in relation to empowering undocumented college students. This evolution on the
work of institutional agents is important to review due to the quickly changing political milieu in
which undocumented college students currently occupy.
The study contained in this dissertation involves undocumented Latino community
college students and the institutional agents that work on the campuses they attend. The next
chapter includes the research methods used based on the literature reviewed in this chapter.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 65

CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH METHODS
The purpose of this study was twofold. The first aim was to understand the ways in which
undocumented Latino community college students that attend Hispanic Serving Institutions
(HSIs) that enroll over 25% Latino students, learn about the AB 540 law, enroll as AB 540
students at their individual campuses, and learn to navigate barriers associated with their
residency status. Another goal was to understand the social networks Latino AB 540 students
utilize in achieving their educational objectives and the ways in which faculty and staff members
are incorporated into these networks. To understand these phenomena, the main research
question posed was, what support mechanisms assist undocumented Latino community college
students and what challenges inhibit their access to college via AB 540 at Hispanic Serving
Institutions?
In this chapter, the methods are explained beginning with descriptions of each of the
research sites followed by demographic information on each of the participants. Next, the
research procedures are described and the approach to the study is provided. Finally, the
trustworthiness of the data, personal bias of the researcher, and ethics are explained.
This study was designed to understand the lived experiences of Latino AB 540
community college students and the faculty and staff members that work with these students.
The data were derived were qualitative in nature with the bulk of the data obtained through
interviews from September 15, 2011 to July 5, 2012 at two different community colleges in
Riverside and San Bernardino Counties located in Southern California which are east of Los
Angeles County. The belief that the participants were the experts in that they could best describe
their daily lives formed the foundation from which this research was initiated. Interviews were
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 66

used as the primary form of data collection because the research questions posed illicit
explanations of the phenomena as understood by the participants who could offer insights based
on their expert knowledge. It was important to have the participants describe their personal
experiences as AB 540 students or community college faculty or staff members who work with
AB 540 students.
Overall Approach to the Study and Rationale
Gathering in-depth interviews was deemed as the most appropriate form for gathering the
data in order to gain the perspectives of individuals with personal experiences attending a
community college as a Latino AB 540 student or individual working at a community college
with this student population. In addition to interviews, observations made while on campus
conducting interviews were also noted. An analysis of each campus website was used to select
sites (see Appendix A). Written and verbal communications with participants were also included
as part of the data analyzed. Additionally, field notes and memos assisted in triangulating the
data. Included in this section is the approach to gaining access to each college, designing
interview questions, and the process used for data analysis.The decision to conduct in-depth
interviews and rationale for the suitability of this form of data collection are provided in this
section.
In-Depth Interviews
The data were gathered in order to share the participants’ lived experiences. Kvale (1996)
asserts that knowledge is gained by interpreting the meanings and descriptions of specific
situations of the interviewee’s lived world in everyday language (p. 30). Latino AB 540 students
shared the ways in which they learned about AB 540, how to enroll in their community college
as AB 540 students, as well as the challenges they face due to their immigration status and
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 67

strategies they employ to overcome any barriers. Students also commented on the ways in which
faculty and staff members assist or hinder their goals to academically succeed at their individual
community colleges in Southern California. Faculty and staff members shared how they engage
with Latino AB 540 students, the processes they use to assist students with whom they come in
contact, and interactions with their colleagues about issues that affect AB 540 students.
In the next section, each site is described. The processes for gaining access to each
institution and selecting participants are also included. The demographics of each college and
descriptions of participants can be found in this section as well.
Site Selection
Research was conducted in California because it is estimated to have the largest
undocumented Latino population in the United States (Passel & Cohn, 2009). In order to select
the community colleges used for this study, a website analysis of community colleges in
Riverside and San Bernardino counties was performed. Sites were selected if they were
Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and what information, if any, could be found on their website
about AB 540 students and what students need to do to matriculate as AB 540 students. In
Riverside and San Bernardino counties, there are approximately 215,000 undocumented
immigrants (6% of the total population) with 84% originating from Mexico (Fortuny et al.,
2007). Riverside and San Bernardino counties are located east of Los Angeles County. These
counties are adjacent to each other. The community colleges in these counties are feeder schools
to the same public universities including the University of California, Riverside and California
State University, San Bernardino.
The two community colleges that were selected are also Hispanic-Serving Institutions
(HSIs). An HSI is a degree granting community college or university with at least 25 % of the
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 68

enrolled students of Hispanic origin and at least 50 % receiving need-based assistance in the
form of federal Pell grants (US Department of Education, 2009). Although undocumented Latino
students cannot receive federal financial aid, they are counted in the overall population of
students labeled “Hispanic.”
In order to narrow the choices of possible research sites, first an analysis of the websites
of each of the community colleges in these areas was conducted (the complete website protocol
can be found in Appendix A). Some basic information gathered included the demographics of
each institution, the names and contact information of the President, Vice President of Student
Affairs, as well as the directors of institutional research (if the college had such a position),
admissions, financial aid, as well as a list of first-year programs, honor’s programs, programs for
minority students, and programs for low-income students. The criteria for admission and any
specific pages directed toward assisting AB 540 students were also queried. Each website was
also screened to see if a club for undocumented students could be found on the official campus
website. After reviewing the information publically available, two sites were selected. Both of
these community colleges were designated as HSIs. Both websites included basic information
about AB 540 and neither of the websites included AB 540 student organizations among their list
of official student organizations.
Gaining Access
In order to gain access to these community colleges to begin the interviews, emails were
sent to the directors of institutional research with the approval of the dissertation chair and the
USC Institutional Review Board. Attached to each email message was a description of the
project, as well as the informed consent forms and protocols for students as well as faculty and
staff members. Meetings were arranged with the institutional research director or the
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 69

administrator in charge of authorizing research studies in order to understand the internal policies
on each campus for conducting outside research and to insure compliance with these policies and
complete any required paperwork. Meetings were also held with each Vice President of Student
Affairs. With the assistance of each Vice President of Student Affairs, initial emails of inquiry
were sent to potential faculty and staff members recommended by each Vice President to
participate in the study. Each Vice President identified three to five possible interviewees and
identify a liaison as the individual perceived to have the most connected to AB 540 students.
Selecting Participants
In-depth interviews of thirteen Latino AB 540 community students from two community
colleges were completed. Additionally ten faculty and staff members were interviewed at these
same community colleges
6
. Interviews were conducted over an eleventh month period
(September 2011 to July 2012). Faculty and staff members recommended by the Vice Presidents
of Student Affairs were contacted by the researcher via phone and email to encourage them to
take part in the project. The faculty or staff member that was identified by each Vice President as
the person most connected and knowledgeable about AB 540 students was approached first and
asked to participate in the study. Second, these staff members were asked if they would be
willing to contact some Latino AB 540 students to participate in this study. The liaisons were
provided with an email address and phone number created for the sole use of this research
project to share with students. At the beginning of each interview, each student participant was
provided with the informed consent form that included the study’s email address and phone
number. At the end of each student interview, students were encouraged to invite some of their

6
Four staff and faculty members were also interviewed at a third community college. Students contacted by liaison
did not agree to participate. It was important to have the perspectives of both students and educators at each
campus included in the study. For this reason, these interviews were not analyzed as part of the dataset.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 70

friends that met the research criteria to participate in interviews in order to include students that
might not have contact with the liaison.
The staff liaison at each college was asked to approach AB 540 students from Latin
American countries. Coincidentally, all of the participants originated from Mexico. This was not
surprising considering that 84% of the Latino immigrant community in San Bernardino and
Riverside Counties hails from Mexico (Fortuny et al., 2007) although having students only from
Mexico was not part of the study’s design. Also, all of the Latino faculty and staff members
interviewed identified as Chicana or Chicano or of Mexican descent. Additional faculty and staff
participants were Caucasian.
At Chavez College, a staff member in student services gathered five students for
interviews. She designated an empty office to conduct interviews privately. Two additional
students heard about the interviews from friends during the course of the day and volunteered for
interviews. At this particular site, because students signed up for appointments through the
liaison, only the first names of each student were given to an administrative assistant in order to
protect the confidentiality of each student’s identity. The full list was never seen by the
researcher. This was the agreement made with the counselor who approached students to
participate in this study. This request was respected and all of the students’ identities were
protected. Once each interview was completed, the administrative assistant stated when the next
interview was scheduled. It was also suggested that any student that did not want to provide their
given name to sign up for an interview, could use a pseudonym. Each student was immediately
assigned a pseudonym by the researcher before each interview. This pseudonym was used during
notetaking during the interview as well as when the interviews were transcribed. By the
recommendation of the USC institutional review board, students did not provide any contact
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 71

information or a signature agreeing to participate in the study. Instead, they received a copy of
the informed consent (see Appendix C) and verbally agreed to participate. The agreements by the
participants to voluntarily partake in the study were recorded.
As mentioned earlier, some faculty and staff participants were first identified by each
Vice President of Student Affairs. During the student interviews, AB 540 students shared the
names or titles of faculty and staff members that provided them with personal support as well as
assistance in accessing information on transfer procedures, choosing courses, finding
scholarships, and/or other academic information. These faculty and staff members were
contacted via email or phone by the researcher and invited to participate in the study. Faculty and
staff interviewees included instructional faculty members, counselors, lecturers, club advisors, as
well as administrators in financial aid, admissions, and student services.
In the next couple of sections, the site selections are described. Basic student
demographics are included. A list of programs found on their websites during the website
analysis that cater to low-income, first-generation college students, Latino students, and minority
students in general is provided.
Marco Antonio Firebaugh College
7

Firebaugh College has a 51% Latino population. The college’s website contained a
guidebook for AB 540 students including resources such as creative funding. Links to programs
for first-generation and low-income students such as EOPS (Extended Opportunity Programs and
Services), CARE (Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education – a program for single parents

7
Marco Antonio Firebaugh immigrated to California at an early age from Tijuana, Mexico. He became a naturalized
citizen and served as a member of the California State Assembly where he helped pen Assembly Bill 540 (AB
540) the bill from which undocumented students are able to pay in-state tuition rates at California state public
institutions if they meet certain criteria.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 72

that qualify for EOPS), MESA (Math, Engineering and Science Achievement), Trio ACES
(Academic Counseling & Educational Services), Upward Bound are found on the student
services page. A Title V HSI Grant program is available with services for Latino students
including supplemental instruction, tutoring, financial literacy, college preparation, and
counseling. Student organizations include a Ballet Folklorico, MEChA, MESA, Latina
Leadership Group, and a Trio Club.
Five female students and one male student volunteered for interviews. The students were
interviewed during the last week of the spring 2012 semester and during the summer 2012
session. Four students will be continuing students in fall 2012 and one student will start her first
semester at the college. The new student was included in the study because she had attended
freshman orientation and enrolled in fall classes. Another student was in the process of
completing her coursework at Firebaugh College, has been accepted and will transfer to UCLA
in fall 2012. All students were born in Mexico.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 73

Four male professors and administrators and one female staff member were interviewed during
summer 2012. All five of these individuals had worked on the campus between two to twenty-
five years. The faculty members were both academic counselors and the staff members all
worked in student affairs in student life, financial aid, and enrollment services.

Table 3.1 Student Participants at Firebaugh College
Name Age Gender
Age of
Arrival
Year in
School
Career Goal Major
Annabelle
Aceves
22 Female 6 3
Criminal
Psychologist
Psychology
Pamela
Castro
21 Female 2
Transfer-
ing
Undecided English
Eileen
Espinoza
19 Female 15 2 Undecided Psychology
David
Hernandez
19 Male unknown 2
Mechanical
Engineer
Engineering
Jennifer
Macias
20 Female 3 2 Undecided
Communica-
tions
Arlete Perea 18 Female 6 1
Incoming
student
Anesthesio-
logist

AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 74

Cesar Chavez College
8

Chavez College has a 53% Latino population. The student services described on their
website include EOPS (Extended Opportunity Programs and Services), a Puente program, Trio
SSSP (Student Support Services Program), tutoring, academic intervention for students that
qualify for SSSP, a program for foster youth, and a community-based scholarship program called
Chavez Bound that was available to students regardless of residency status.

8
Cesar Chavez (1927-1993) founded the United Farm Workers union which was influential in garnering improved
wages and safer working conditions for farmworkers throughout the United States who were primarily of Latino
descent.
Table 3.2: Faculty and Staff Participants at Firebaugh College
Name Gender Position
Years on
campus
Years in
Higher
Education
Ethnicity
Robert Briones Male
Professor &
Counselor
13 13 Chicano
Moises Cisneros Male
Student Life
Director
5 9 Chicano
Dan Huerta Male
Financial Aid
Director
2 19 Chicano
Michael Paul
Probasco
Male
Professor &
Counselor
6 9 Caucasian
Randie Valariano Female
Enrollment
Management
Director
25 25 Chicana

AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 75

Six current students from Chavez College: two women and four men from the ages of 19
to 20 were interviewed. One male student that had recently graduated from Chavez and was
about to begin his first semester at a nearby private university also participated. All of these
student interviews were conducted in a single day a few days before the fall semester of 2011.
Among the current students, one woman was entering her second year and all the others were
about to start their third. All of the students were born in Mexico and had immigrated from the
age of two months old to fifteen years old. Most of the students had brothers and sisters who
were United States citizens. One unique student had two older siblings and two younger siblings
that were documented. Below is a chart with some of the basic demographic information of the
Table 3.3: Student Participants at Chavez College
Name Age Gender
Age of
Arrival
Year in
School
Career Goal Major
Agustin
Aragon
20 Male
Did not
specify
3
Social Work
& Business
Communicat
ions
Did not
specify
Francisco
Cordova
20 Male 12 3
Nurse then
Surgeon
Science
Raul Cruz 20 Male 1
Transfer-
ring
Radiologist Science
Ester Moreno 20 Female 13 3
Environment
al
Engineering
Chemistry/
Physics/
Mathematics
Bernabel
Ruiz
19 Male 6 3
Mechanical
Engineer
Engineering
Prerequisites
Joey
Vasquez
20 Male 2 months 3 Firefighter
Did not
specify
Carlota Vigil 18 Female 15 2
Did not
specify
Mathematics

AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 76

students interviewed. The student interviews lasted from twenty minutes to an hour depending on
each student’s availability.
All of the staff and faculty members interviewed at Chavez College were Chicana and
Chicano. Two were history professors, one part-time and one full-time. Another was a full-time
English professor. Two individuals worked in student affairs. One worked in financial aid and
the other as a counselor and faculty member in the Puente program. All of the faculty and staff
interviews were approximately an hour in length.
Beginning the Study: The Interview Protocols
The interview questions were based on the literature and the theoretical framework. Two
protocols were used – one for student interviews (See Appendix C) and another for faculty and
staff interviews (See Appendix D). The protocol for students began with questions about
students’ high school experiences as undocumented students and when they learned that they
could pay in-state tuition at state institutions via AB 540. Questions were then posed to students
Table 3.4: Faculty and Staff Participants at Chavez College
Name Gender Position
Years on
campus
Years in
Higher
Education
Ethnicity
Patrick
Astorga
Male
Full time History
professor
14 24 Chicano
Karen
Buluran
Female
Full time English
professor
18 18 Chicana
Juan Carlos
Orozco
Male
Part time History
professor
2 20 Chicano
Renee
Patibanda
Female
Student Affairs
Professional
2 4 Chicana
Josefina
Pedroza
Female
Professor and
counselor
28 28 Chicana

AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 77

about their challenges of being an undocumented student related to their residency status
followed by difficulties associated with college access, information about college going and
navigating college, and finding funding. They were also asked from whom and in what ways
they found support. Faculty and staff members were asked about their knowledge of AB 540 and
undocumented students, the ways in which they interact with AB 540 students, and the types of
resources and support they supply to AB 540 students.
The student protocol was reviewed by undocumented students that did not have any
connection to the community colleges studied. Two were university students that never attended
community college and three were university students that had successfully transferred from
community colleges. The faculty and staff protocols were reviewed by two current community
college staff members that did not work at either college studied. Two individuals that had
previously worked at community colleges not included in this study were also asked to provide
feedback. None of the reviewers knew which colleges were included in the study.
The questions in both protocols were designed to prompt participants to share
information about social networks and institutional agents, which was a major objective of this
study. Both the student protocol and staff and faculty protocol included questions about
interactions between students and faculty and faculty and staff members. Organizing each
protocol with the end result of the study in mind, contributed to making the analysis more
straightforward which is a method shared by Kvale (1996, p. 130). For instance some of the
questions in each protocol were designed to have participants elaborate on specific behaviors of
institutional agents supplied by Stanton-Salazar, Macias, Bensimon, and Dowd (in press).
Participants were allowed to speak freely instead of simply asking each question one by one off
the protocol in a survey fashion. This allowed the participants the flexibility of describing
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 78

networking practices in their own words in order to clarify the roles of institutional agents in
relation to Latino AB 540 students at these particular colleges.
Field notes and Memos
Field notes were used throughout the study to shape the interviews and assist with data
analysis. Field notes were used to capture initial thoughts during interviews to ask follow-up
questions without interrupting the participant. Insightful comments by participants were also
noted during the interview as reminders to pay close attention to a phrase or comment that might
be useful when conducting analysis. Additional field notes were written immediately following
each interview to gather initial insights as well as include any information shared by a participant
after the recorder was turned off. After several interviews, participants would turn around as they
were leaving or shaking hands and share a final thought or reflection.
The idea of utilizing field notes for this study was inspired by the methodological
instruction described by Patton (2002). Patton (2002) claims that there are four reasons why
taking field notes during an interview are important. First, notes help the interviewer formulate
follow-up questions during the interview itself. Second, the researcher can look over the field
notes before the transcripts are written in order to stimulate early insights that could be pursued
with follow-up interviews9. Third, field notes help the researcher locate important quotes after
the transcript is written. Fourth, notes can be used as a source for back-up in case the recorder
malfunctions or an interview is inadvertently erased. Like the work of Patton, notetaking also
helped pace each interview and write down nonverbal cues (p. 383). Right after each interview,

9
Follow-up interviews were not conducted with students in order to protect their identities. Students were provided
with a googlevoice number and a gmail email address that was used only during data collection. Students could
initiate contact; however none of their contact information was solicited. Students were also not asked to sign a
written form of consent, rather they were asked to provide their verbal consent, which was recorded at the
beginning of each interview.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 79

as modeled by Patton, (Patton, 2002, p. 384). details about the interview setting and impressions
about the interview itself were recorded using field notes.
Similar to Patton’s method described above, only very brief notes were written down
during the interviews themselves in order to listen more intently to the participants. Notes made
during the interviews largely consisted of words or phrases that would inspire follow-up
questions. Some phrases were noted that might be included in data analysis. Immediately
following the majority of the interviews, longer field notes were constructed. Included in the
field notes were impressions of the participants during the interviews and important insights
raised by the participants. The notes taken during the interviews were written in quick shorthand
and the field notes were dictated on a recording device then transcribed. Unlike the work of
Patton, the field notes were not intended to replace interview data that might not be recorded.
The recording equipment used in this study was more sophisticated than the tape recordings used
by Patton that could be corrupted. Recordings were made with two devices in order to minimize
equipment failure or loss of data due if a device would have been lost. Both recording devices
also had a visual measure of the sound being recorded. This differs from the era Patton described
about malfunctioning equipment. Only one interview with a faculty member took place in a
public space at the request of the participant. Recording this interview was not possible due to all
the background noise. For this reason, more written notes were made. A lengthy recording of
impressions was made by the researcher prompted by the field notes following this interview.
Also, the participant followed up with an email message which became part of the dataset.
Memos were also used throughout the study. Memos in this study included musings
about possible themes, reflections on the field work, and connections to current research. Memos
helped begin data analysis as data were being collected instead of waiting until all interviews
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 80

were completed. This is the same technique used by Charmaz (2006). (Charmaz, 2006, p. 72).
Charmaz (2006) writes memo-writing using freewriting to stimulate the creative process
(Charmaz, 2006, p. 80). Some of the memo-writing completed for this study was combined with
the field notes and voice notes that were recorded after most interviews. In order to use the
memos to move the dissertation toward completion, memos were written in the space allotted for
chapters four, five, and six. This method helped store the memos in a logical location and in turn,
helped develop some of the themes used in data analysis in chapters four and five. Additionally,
some memos helped in formulating chapter six by inspiring recommendations for practice and
ideas for future research.
Data Analysis
The type of data analysis used in this study was phenomenological, but more specifically,
the process used is “modified analytic induction (Patton, 2002, p. 493).” In studies that use
analytical induction, preconceived hypotheses identified prior to analysis are explored as
opposed to an open approach to inquiry more traditionally found in “purer forms of
phenomenological inquiry” (Patton, 2002, p. 493). The reason the analysis is labeled “modified
analytical induction” is that the definitions by Stanton-Salazar and others (Bensimon et al., in
press; Stanton-Salazar, 2011) were used to frame the questions of inquiry, however throughout
the analysis, a priori micro-definitions of institutional agents were not strictly adhered.
Definitions of the roles of institutional agents from the study by Stanton-Salazar and colleagues
(Bensimon et al., in press; Stanton-Salazar, 2011) were used as a starting point for the analysis
that ended with the interpretation of behaviors of institutional agents that aligned with the
responses from the participants in this study in the context of the experiences of AB 540 students
at community colleges. Modified analytical induction as a method of data analysis allowed for
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 81

the knowledge claims to be assembled in a more fluid schema without the restrictions of strict
definitions that were developed for related, yet different, studies of human behavior. This method
allowed for creativity in explaining patterns specific to working with Latino AB 540 students.
Similarly, Patton (p. 494) shares that qualitative inquiry can move beyond discovering nascent
ideas to generating new theory. He adds that a “mainstay of science” (p. 494) includes
reexamining dominant beliefs or explanatory paradigms within a discipline or group of
practitioners, which was one goal of this study.
The text documents from the transcripts were stored in ATLAS-ti, a qualitative data
software program that also assisted in organizing codes. ATLAS-ti contains computer software
that can assist researchers in data analysis. These functions of the software were not utilized in
data analysis. The benefit of placing the text in ATLAS-ti was simply to collect all the text in a
single textbank, search easily for phrases and words, and print out quotes related to individual
codes. This process is analogous to printing out a dataset and coloring similar codes with the
same colored highlighter. Interviews were coded using an iterative process. The steps are
described below.
In the first phase of coding, codes were derived by noting interesting comments that
related to the research questions and similar situations between interviewees. Ryan and Bernard
(2000), describe this process of coding as “open coding” in which “the investigator identifies
potential themes by pulling together real examples from the text” (p. 783). Some “in vivo” codes,
or codes derived from the participant’s own words (Ryan & Bernard, 2000, p. 783), were also
created. For instance, searches for the words “fear” and “trust” were conducted using ATLAS-ti.
All of the sentences throughout the text were coded with “fear” or “trust” wherever these words
appeared. A major point of this study was to examine the ways in which institutional agents
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 82

(Bensimon et al., in press; Stanton-Salazar, 2011) assist Latino AB 540 community college
students. The reason the analysis began by approaching the text using “open” and “in vivo”
coding was first, was to seek meaning from the interviewees’ own words to answer the research
questions before looking at definitions created by Stanton-Salazar and colleagues (Bensimon et
al., in press; Stanton-Salazar, 2011). The idea was to identify potential themes about institutional
agents that might be unique to the data collected.
Also, the research questions included finding out the ways in which students interviewed
learned about AB 540 before they began community college and how they enrolled in college as
AB 540 students. These answers were taken directly from the interview data by using “open” and
“in vivo” coding.
In the next phase of analysis, the text was coded using codes that corresponded to the
definitions of institutional agents by Stanton-Salazar and colleagues (Bensimon et al., in press;
Stanton-Salazar, 2011). Twenty-three interviews were analyzed for this study. In order to make
sense of this mound of data, memos were constructed. Memos included comments about
similarities between issues raised in interviews with like subjects, as well as additional insights
that respondents provided that supported or differed from the literature on AB 540 students and
studies conducted by Stanton-Salazar (Bensimon et al., in press; Stanton-Salazar, 2011).
Throughout this section, the procedures of analyzing the data were described. As
mentioned earlier, the majority of the dataset for this study consisted of interviews. Below
“validity” is addressed. The validity of collecting valuable data as well as how those data were
analyzed was considered prior to beginning the study, during data collection, and throughout
data analysis. The processes for testing validity used in this study are described below.

AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 83

Validity
According to Kvale (1996), validity involves dealing with issues of truth and knowledge
(Kvale, 1996, p. 236). This creates a quandary with which all qualitative researchers grapple.
Silverman’s (2000) method for testing knowledge claims was selected for this study primarily
because he suggests analyzing data throughout data collection in an iterative process as well as
examining knowledge claims comprehensively after all data are collected for the study. He also
understands that a knowledge claim does not always have to concur with an observation by
another participant because it might be a claim unique to a particular individual or situation. In
qualitative research human subjects are used each with their own experiences that may or may
not always align with others.
Silverman (2000) offers five principles that can be used to test validity: the refutability
principle; the constant comparison method; comprehensive data treatment; deviate case analysis;
and using appropriate tabulations (pp. 177-186). Each of these techniques are discussed below
including how these approaches were used throughout the data collection and analysis portion of
this study.
Silverman (2000) advises that qualitative researchers search for objectivity by seeking to
refute initial assumptions. He calls this the “refutability principle” (p. 178). In order to
accomplish this is to scrutinize data by every plausible test (p. 178). Silverman (2000) states that
one of the issues in writing up qualitative research is “anecdotalism” (p. 177). Silverman (2000)
advises that qualitative researchers must avoid the temptation to “jump to easy conclusions”
simply because evidence seems to be leading along an interesting path (p. 178). Silverman
proposes using the following four methods to avoid this trap of listing anecdotal information.
The relevance to this study is explained below.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 84

Comprehensive Data Treatment
As mentioned earlier, data were analyzed when collected. This assisted with analysis by
identifying categories early on in the study and clarifying responses by participants. On-going
data collection and data analysis permitted the examination of responses by all the interviewees
in the study. Additionally, the data analysis was not deemed complete until all interviews had
been conducted and examined. Consequently, interviews conducted later in the study were
analyzed in reference to all earlier interviews allowing for interviews conducted at the beginning
of the study to be revisited and knowledge claims to be reviewed, refined, or re-evaluated.
The Constant Comparison Method
In the constant comparison method of validity, qualitative researchers should attempt find
at least one additional case to test a probable knowledge claim (Silverman, 2000, p. 179). This
could mean applying claims to different cases entirely or by comparing data fragments from a
single case (p. 179). There were multiple participants in this study allowing for comparisons to
be made between individuals studied. Also, data fragments within a single interview were
analyzed.
Since the data were analyzed simultaneously with data collection, subsequent interviews
with additional participants allowed for some interpretations about possible knowledge claims to
be explored. The flexible format of the interviews where participants were engaged in a
conversation instead of being asked questions in a survey fashion allowed for follow-up
questions to be asked to examine ideas expressed in interviews by previous respondents to see if
similar observations had been made by other participants. This process is also called member-
checking. Clarifying questions were also asked during each interview in order to allow the
participants’ beliefs to guide each interview and to assure that ideas shared were understood.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 85

Interviews with students and college officials from two different colleges also helped develop a
comprehensive set of data to find commonalities as well as differences.
Deviate Case Analysis
In conducting an analysis, deviant cases should be investigated and analyzed (Silverman,
2000, p. 179). By including interviews with multiple participants in this study, instances that
were unique were identified and not immediately dismissed. “Deviant,” or unique, instances are
discussed further in chapter four.
Using Appropriate Tabulations
Silverman (2000) recommends counting the reoccurrence of categories within a dataset in
order to manage a large body of data (p. 184). At first glance this technique appears to be a
quantitative method. However, Silverman advocates this technique as a matter seeing the number
of incidences a category, name, or phrase occurs in a set of data. The frequencies of particular
categories were not included in the final analysis. However, this method was used to analyze the
extent to which a category or categories were repeated in the data. All of transcribed data and
field notes were placed into Atlas-Ti, a qualitative analysis computer program. This program was
used to organize the data. The program also had the capability of counting the frequency a
category, word, or name that appeared during the coding process. Frequency of categories,
words, or names assisted in being able to visually examine when a particular category needed to
be considered more deeply. For instance, if the name of a staff or faculty member came up
frequently and that individual was not originally targeted as a participant, the individual was
approached and invited to be interviewed for the study. Similarly, the frequency of a name or
organization assisted in developing the schema of behaviors by faculty and staff members that
were deemed helpful and unhelpful to Latino AB 540 community college students. Noting
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 86

frequently occurring names, phrases, and organizations helped shine a light on information that
needed further examination.
Personal Bias and Ethics
In this section, personal bias and ethics related to the research project are discussed.
Every researcher deals with personal bias and ethics. For qualitative researchers, who interact
with individual participants, personal bias and ethics must be brought forth before a study begins.
This topic was discussed with the dissertation chair before the dissertation proposal was
submitted, during the proposal meeting, and when the USC Institutional Review Board approved
this study. Additionally, this study was approved by administrators at each community college
before interviews even began.
Personal Bias
Every respondent was treated as an individual that merited the respect of understanding
that he and she is a unique human being. Each conversation was approached without the
presumption of knowing the experience of the person being interviewed. The majority of the
interviewees met for the first time with the interviewer at the time of the interview including all
of the student interviewees and eight out of ten of the staff members. Two of the staff members
interviewed at Firebaugh College who advise the AB 540 club on their campus were introduced
briefly prior to the beginning of this study at a large statewide conference.
Due to the lack of interaction with interviewees prior to interviews, time was spent on
each campus during the majority of the interviews as well as before and after interviews allowing
for observations to take place. In this vein, Hammersley (2002) claims that one of the most
valuable characteristics of ethnographic research is in “its commitment to seeking to understand
the perspectives of others, rather than simply judging them as true or false” (pp. 67-68). As an
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 87

employee at a research university who has never worked at a community college, prior
knowledge of each community college selected was minimal and based mainly on the website
analyses.
As a researcher, I must acknowledge my limitations in directly relating to the
interviewees. I do not have a personal understanding of growing up in an immigrant household. I
am Chicana and my family is primarily of Mexican descent. I was born in the United States as
were my parents and three of my grandparents. By coincidence, the country of origin for all of
the student participants was Mexico. The liaisons that helped gather student participants were
asked to invite undocumented students from Latin American countries, however all of the
student participants that volunteered happened to come from Mexico. Coincidentally, all the
Latino faculty and staff members interviewed were also Mexican immigrants or claimed
Mexican or Chicano heritage. Culturally, I share a few similarities with the students and faculty
and staff participants that I interviewed because I was raised in a Mexican-origin household.
Also as an administrator in higher education for over twenty years, I did not try to assume I
understood the daily work of the faculty members and staff members I interviewed because I
have only worked at universities. In other words, I did not take any perceived similarities
between me and my participants for granted. I questioned my interviewees to explicitly state
details about their lives that only they can know and describe. I did, however, have a general
understanding of the work that some of the student affairs practitioners I interviewed. I also have
experience teaching freshman writing at a university as well as multiple leadership courses. This
experience gave me insight into developing questions for the staff and faculty member protocol,
but I did not have any first-hand understanding of the issues these individuals encounter that are
unique to the community colleges at which they work.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 88

Ethical Issues Addressed in this Study
Possible ethical dilemmas were expected given the controversial topic of the study prior
to the beginning of the research. Of the utmost importance throughout this study was the fact that
all of the students interviewed are undocumented college students so confidentiality was
extremely important to all the participants. Confidentiality plays a strong roll in all studies
involving human subjects, however in this study, revealing a participant’s identity could have
legal consequences. If any of the participants were to have their residency status revealed to
United States immigration authorities, they could have been detained and possibly deported.
Their presence in the United States is considered an “illegal” civil act by the United States
government. This possibility was kept in mind throughout this dissertation project. The students
interviewed are confronted with this predicament daily. It was important in collecting data that
this reality was acknowledged in order to take appropriate precautions. Two dilemmas that were
prepared for prior to data collection were related to displaying the data and data security. These
topics are discussed below.
Ethics in Constructing the Text
One of the difficulties in working with in-depth interview data is presenting individual
actors that are multifaceted. In-depth interviews require spending significant time with each
participant. The challenge becomes portraying the individuals studied as complex characters.
Being critically aware of how the data were collected and were shared in written reports assisted
in being sensitive to the individuals that agreed to participate in this research project.
Anticipating possible difficulties that could have encountered before this work began, served as a
reminder that all data collected are important and analyzing the data comprehensively was key in
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 89

representing the stories as told by the participants in a way that was respectful to the individuals
as well as to individuals who may read this work.
Data Security
Data security is important when conducting any qualitative study. In this particular study,
the student participants and many of their family members are also undocumented. This means
that they are at risk for deportation if discovered. For this reason, data security was not only
important, it was essential. Extreme care was taken in order to avoid disrupting the lives of these
students and/or their families. In order to accomplish this, several precautions were taken.
One example of a safeguard was that all field notes and files were protected with
passwords. This is why the field notes were transcribed and saved electronically. Also, only
pseudonyms were used in any written notes, reports, and within the transcripts themselves.
Additionally, the consents to interview from each participant were recorded verbally instead of
on a signed form. All of the interviews were saved in MP3 format to a computer that is password
protected.
Student participants were never asked for last names. It was also suggested to the
students that they could choose a pseudonym if they did not want to divulge their first name.
Because it was uncertain whether the student being interviewed was using their given name,
every name was changed in the field notes and in any saved work. If a staff or faculty member
was mentioned by other participants, an assigned pseudonym was used consistently for that
individual in the field notes and transcripts.
The names of each of the community colleges were also given pseudonyms. A total of
fifteen community colleges exist throughout Riverside and San Bernardino counties. For this
reason, it would be difficult to discern which community colleges were selected as sites. Even
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 90

the percentages of Latino students reported at each campus would not indicate which campuses
were used in this study because several campuses from this region have similar demographics.
Summary
This study describes the pre-matriculation processes and on-going support mechanisms of
AB 540 community college students. Accounts from community college faculty and staff
members are also included. This study fits into the literature on undocumented college students
and will contribute to the knowledge about the ways in which the experiences and strategies of
these students are informed by the current time frame. Additionally, the interviews with faculty
and staff members will allow individuals that work with AB 540 students on a daily basis to
share some strategies they have used to assist undocumented students. The website protocol,
interview protocols for students and staff and faculty members, and informed consent forms can
be found in the appendices at the end of this dissertation. The methods described in this chapter
formed the structure from which the data were collected and analyzed. The results for this study
follow in chapter four. Chapter five contains findings as well as recommendations for practice
and further research.

AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 91

CHAPTER 4
FINDINGS: LATINO AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS
This is a study of undocumented Latino community college students in California. Under
California Education Code 68130.5 (Public Postsecondary Education: Exemption from
Nonresident Tuition, 2001), beginning in January 2002, undocumented students that attend high
school in California for at least three years; graduate or complete a GED in California; sign an
affidavit that they will apply for United States citizenship or legal residency when they are able
to do so, can pay in-state tuition rates at state institutions of higher education. This code, signed
into law in 2001, is most commonly known as AB 540 (Assembly Bill 540). Many
undocumented students that attend California state colleges and universities under this law call
themselves AB 540 students. All students interviewed for this study self-identified as “AB 540
students.”
The overarching research question of this study follows: What support mechanisms assist
undocumented Latino community college students and what challenges inhibit their access to
college via AB 540? This chapter specifically examines the first research question: In what ways
do undocumented Latino community college students become aware of their rights under AB
540? Two predominant themes emerged from the interview data. In the first part of this chapter
presents the challenges in obtaining information about college access for undocumented students.
The second part of the chapter details the challenges related to residency status.
Challenges in Obtaining Information about College Access, College-Specific Information,
and Funding
Undocumented high school students find out about college-going requirements at the
same time as their peers which include United States citizens and legal residents. At this point,
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 92

the pathway to college diverges drastically for undocumented students from friends they may
have attended school with for many years who were born in the United States or have
authorization papers. For this reason, AB 540 Latino students that attended Hispanic-Serving
community colleges were queried about the ways in which they learned about the process of
attending college as AB 540 students, enrolling in community college under AB 540, and
coming to understand the laws and restrictions associated with being undocumented community
college students in California. All of the students interviewed for this dissertation began
community college immediately upon finishing high school; enrolled in courses that would
enable them to transfer to universities; or had just completed their community college courses
and enrolled in a university that they would begin in the upcoming term.
All of the students interviewed for this study commented that they had to seek out
information about how to attend college as an undocumented student by understanding AB 540
and the legal restrictions associated with being an undocumented college student. Five
challenges were reported by the students interviewed. One impediment among students
interviewed was the time in which they understood their residency status. Three students were
unaware of their residency status and therefore did not have reason to inquire about AB 540. A
second obstacle was the timing in which students learned about AB 540 and the impact their
undocumented status would have on their college education. Only three students were provided
information about AB 540 by high school officials. Eight students learned about AB 540 from
presentations from community college counselors at their high school or after they enrolled in
community college and questioned their fee bill. Overall, the timing in which undocumented
students received accurate information about AB 540 greatly affected their ability to understand
how to enroll in college as an AB 540 student, receive support from counselors and teachers, ask
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 93

for assistance from educators at the high school and college levels, and find funding for their
college education. A third barrier was trusting educators with the personal information of their
undocumented status. A fourth problem was gaining information about AB 540 from high school
counselors and teachers even when they openly stated that they were undocumented or did not
possess a social security number. A fifth problem reported was students that received erroneous
information from high school staff and faculty members.
Lack of Awareness of Undocumented Status
Some undocumented high school students are unaware of their undocumented status until
their junior or senior year of high school. This is the point in which high school students in the
United States ask their parents for their social security numbers so that they can begin working a
part-time job, driving, as well as applying for college, financial aid, or scholarships. Some
parents have to inform their children that they do not have social security numbers because they
are undocumented. Three out of thirteen students interviewed were unaware that they were
undocumented until their junior or senior year. These three students had an additional challenge
because they had to understand and accept their undocumented status before they could pursue
information about attending college as an undocumented student. For this reason, this section
begins with the stories of students that learned of their undocumented status during high school.
The remaining the stories in this section are about students that were aware of their residency
status prior to high school. These stories are arranged according to the time in which they
understood the benefits of AB 540: students who learned early on about AB 540 in their high
school careers; students that learned about AB 540 during their senior year of high school; and
students that did not know about AB 540 until they signed up for courses at their community
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 94

college. The table below summarizes when the students interviewed learned that they could pay
in-state tuition via AB 540.

Raul Cruz, Joey Vasquez, and Pamela Castro found out that they were undocumented
during high school. First, these students had to absorb the fact that they were not United States
citizens or legal residents then they needed to find out how they would pay for college without
Table 4.1:Undocumented Students Interviewed Learn about AB 540
Student College
When Notified about
AB 540
Person who Explained AB 540
David Hernandez Firebaugh
high school freshman
year
brothers attended Firebaugh under
AB 540
Ester Moreno Chavez
high school
sophomore year
high school counselor
Joey Vasquez Chavez
high school junior
year
community college representative
presented at high school
Raul Cruz Chavez
high school
senior year
high school counselor
Carlota Vigil Chavez
high school
senior year
high school counselor
Annabelle Aceves Firebaugh
high school senior
year
community college representative
presented at high school
Eileen Espinoza Firebaugh
high school senior
year
community college representative
presented at high school
Jennifer Macias Firebaugh
high school senior
year
community college representative
presented at high school
Pamela Castro Firebaugh community college community college counselor
Francisco Cordova Chavez community college community college counselor
Bernabel Ruiz Chavez community college community college counselor
Agustin Aragon Chavez community college community college counselor
Arlete Perea Firebaugh community college
family friend attending Firebaugh
under AB 540
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 95

any federal financial aid. The stories of how these three students became aware of their
undocumented status are included below.
Raul Cruz, a student from Chavez College, found out about his documentation status
when he was applying for financial aid during the middle of his senior year of high school. Raul
has four siblings. His two older siblings and two younger siblings are all documented. He
explained that his mother lived in the United States when she gave birth to his older siblings.
However, she returned to Mexico where he was born. He moved to the United States when he
was just over a year old. His older siblings received financial aid and matriculated college as
other United States residents. He assumed that he would follow a similar path, but this was not to
be.
Raul was an honors student in high school; he took AP classes, and was very active in
student government and the yearbook committee. He was determined to go to college so he went
on tours of colleges and studied hard. He was accepted to several universities. He shared,
“Basically, that’s it. I didn’t have a job, I didn’t do anything else but that, just focus on school.”
His senior year he signed up for a workshop on completing the FAFSA (Free Application for
Federal Student Aid). His older siblings had received financial aid so he followed their lead.
Prior to the workshop, he was instructed to obtain his social security number from his parents.
When he went home, he asked his mother for his social security number. Raul shares that
moment:
I didn’t realize that [I did not have a social security number] until I went home...
and when I asked my mom, she [told me], “You don’t have one.” Then I was
like… waiting… I knew that I wasn’t born here. I was born in Mexico, but I
didn’t think too much of it until then,… of course.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 96

Raul is a very articulate and gregarious young man. However, when we talked about how he
found out about his residency status, he stumbled over his words and his face turned red. He was
not ashamed of being an AB 540 student. He was embarrassed that he did not see his situation as
being different from his siblings. Raul did not understand his residency status because he was a
middle child with older American siblings. He had no memory of Mexico and assumed that he
was documented like his brothers.
Raul was determined to find a way to go to college but he was unsure if he could do so as
an undocumented student. He set up a meeting with a high school counselor with whom he had
developed a great rapport, revealed his undocumented status, and asked if he could still obtain
his dream of obtaining a college education. The high school counselor explained, “You will be
able to go to college, but it’s just going to be a bit harder for you. You are going to enroll under
this law called AB 540.” The counselor went on to explain the benefits of AB 540 as well as the
difficulties that he might face being undocumented. He was devastated when he learned that he
could not apply for federal financial aid via FAFSA and eliminated from many scholarship
opportunities. This was when Raul decided to begin his education at Chavez College then
transfer to a university. His high school counselor also assisted him in finding scholarships as
well as how to look for scholarships that did not require FAFSA documents. He was able to
obtain scholarships for the two years he attend Chavez College. He also bonded with a former
counselor at Chavez College who helped him find scholarships.
Raul is a self-described “expert” at applying for scholarships. He completed two years of
courses at Chavez College. He was interviewed a week before he started classes in Fall 2012 at a
selective private university to prepare for medical school in order to become a physician. He is
excited to finish his bachelor’s degree. He shared, “I [just] transferred to [a private] university...
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 97

Again, I applied for scholarships. I applied for a lot. And, I’m fortunate enough to say that my
$27,000 tuition is paid for.” Raul’s story demonstrates that he was unaware of his residency
status until a few months before he started community college. He had to alter his plans of
beginning his education at a university by choosing to attend the more affordable Chavez
community college, but he still reached his goal. His relationships with his high school counselor
and community college counselor helped him learn the process of searching for scholarships. His
status as a high-achieving student also helped him complete his transfer requirements in two
years and immediately transfer to a university.
Joey Vasquez, also from Chavez College, came to the United States when he was two
months old. All of his younger siblings are documented including one brother that is only one
year younger and another that is two years younger. Joey reflects on his situation saying:
Well, I pretty much see myself as an American already ‘cause I’ve been here my
whole life. So technically if I was to rate it, I would be 99% American and 1%
Mexican. Because, like, I was only there for two months and I came over here.
So, I pretty much find it, like, kinda weird.
Joey’s self-identity as an American and closeness in age to two of his brothers who were born in
the United States made it hard for him to comprehend that he was undocumented. During his
junior year, he was assigned to attend a workshop offered by Chavez College. The presenters
explained that the participants had been selected to attend the workshop because they were not
born in the United States, probably did not have social security numbers, and would probably
have to apply to college as AB 540 students. He had a sudden awareness of his status stating:
There was a presentation in our high school, like some lady came and said that
they were going to be offering the [Chavez College scholarship] program. So
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 98

when I heard it. They identified us as AB 540. They said that we could join
without [a] social security [number]. So that was when I heard.
Joey was glad that he attended the workshop, but was surprised that someone could figure out his
status when he was unclear about his status himself. He was grateful that he found out about his
residency status and AB 540 during his junior year because he was able to secure a scholarship
for Chavez College for his first year. After his first year, he was unable to obtain scholarships.
He explained, “I did a little bit of research. I tried getting scholarships, but it was too hard to find
ones that had AB 540.” Joey pays for his tuition from his part-time work. He works with his
parents setting up soccer goals at a local park. He also sells tacos at a taco stand at the park. His
experience is very different from that of his brother who is attending Chavez College on
financial aid and can easily apply for jobs. He states:
My brother is just one year younger and can just apply for any job that he wants.
He doesn’t even care. He just says, “Yeah, maybe I’ll fill out an application for
this or that.” My brother takes it for granted and doesn’t realize that he has the
privilege of working wherever he wants.
Joey shared, “it’s not fair that I have to work so hard lifting heavy poles… and I have to take
whatever work that I can even if it’s hard.” He describes his work as “not like a real job.” He
stated that he did not have any mentors at Chavez College, so he finds support from members of
the community including an X-Ray Technician, a hospital administrator, and a firefighter. Joey
calls them mentors because “[t]hey’re always checking to see how am I in school… How are my
grades? Am I doing good? What do I need? They pretty much help me with everything that I
need.” They also encourage him to finish his bachelor’s degree because he has wanted to go to
college “since I was little.” As the eldest child with three siblings, he is determined to be a role
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 99

model. He also finds support from some friends that graduated from Chavez College. His goal is
to attend the University of California, Riverside (UCR). He stays in contact with these friends
because “One of them, he’s going to UCR. He’s going to get a bachelor’s.” This friend is helping
him stay on track in order to transfer.
Pamela Castro, from Firebaugh College, also came to the United States when she was
very young. She was two years old. She does not remember Mexico or arriving in the United
States. Her grandparents are United States citizens and began petitioning for her family to
receive legal residency in 1995. As long as she can remember, she knew that her grandparents
had filed a petition for her parents and herself as soon as they moved to the United States. She
assumed that her family’s petition had been approved because her parents never told her
otherwise. Pamela’s family avoided telling her about her residency status. When she wanted to
get a job, her mother suggested that she do community service because it would look good on her
college application. When she asserted that she wanted to assist her family financially by getting
a part-time job, her mother told her that she preferred that she concentrated on her academics.
She accepted this answer but did not completely understand why her mother did not want her to
apply for a job
As a college-bound student, Pamela attended a couple of workshops about completing the
FAFSA. In the first session she was excused from the workshop and told to obtain her social
security number from her parents and attend a different session when she had that information.
She went home and asked her mother for her social security number. Her mother told her that she
did not have one. She did not immediately equate not having a social security number with being
undocumented. She asked her mother to get her a social security number, then her mother
explained that she was not eligible because she was undocumented. She went to another FAFSA
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 100

workshop and asked the presenter what she should do if she did not have a social security
number. She was told to leave the workshop and return to class. She was humiliated and
confused. She recalled:
I just went to the FAFSA workshops. And then when they would get to the social
security I would tell them, “I don’t have it,” and [I was told], “Oh, sorry... go back
to class.” I got accepted to some Cal States, but I didn’t [go] to them because I
wasn’t going to be able to get [federal financial aid] or anything, which I thought
…I was going to qualify for ever since middle school. [I was told], “Just keep
your grades up and you just apply for this and if you’re good enough they’ll pay
for your whole school.” They never told me, “If you’re undocumented you can’t
do it.”
Pamela was not provided with information about applying for scholarships or creative
ways of funding her education. Pamela found out about AB 540 the day she enrolled in classes at
Firebaugh College. Although she had excellent grades in high school, she began to believe that
she would never attend a university because of the costs involved. She knew that attending a
community college would be less expensive, so she decided to enroll. After signing up for
classes during orientation, she compared notes with her best friend, Nikki, a United States
citizen. She did not understand why her fees were so much higher than Nikki’s so she asked a
counselor, Robert Briones, who gave her a handout on AB 540 and asked her to look over the
requirements to see if she qualified. When Pamela read the information about AB 540 she
immediately understood that her documentation status was the reason her bill was so high and
AB 540 was going to enable her to pay in-state student fees.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 101

Pamela now conducts high school workshops with Nuestras Voces, the AB 540 club at
her community college, so other high school students will not have to struggle for information
like she did, “We do outreaches and we tell [high school students] what to do [because] I had no
idea.” Pamela struggled each semester to fund her education. She found work at fast-food
restaurants that were willing to let her work without a social security number. At Firebaugh she
learned about applying for scholarships as an undocumented student and secured scholarships for
the 2012-2013 academic year. Now, after spending two years at Firebaugh College, this high-
achieving student with a 4.0 GPA, transferred to UCLA in Fall 2012. As a high-achieving
student, Pamela was not instructed in high school how to apply for scholarships. The financial
workshops she attended only catered to students that were eligible for FAFSA. She also did not
hear about AB 540. She did not reveal her residency status to any teachers or counselors, but she
did inform the counselors that she did not have a social security number. None of the counselors
mentioned the options for students who did not qualify for federal financial aid.
Sharing the stories of Raul, Joey, and Pamela is important because there are many
undocumented students living in the United States that are not aware of their status. When
undocumented students living in the United States turn 18 or begin attending college, their lives
change drastically. They are not eligible for federal financial aid, cannot obtain driver’s licenses,
cannot rent apartments, or apply for jobs. As undocumented adults, they become more prone to
having their undocumented status revealed which puts them at risk for deportation as young
adults. Raul and Pamela found out about their residency in the middle of their senior year of high
school. During a critical time of their lives right before they are about to graduate from high
school and enter college, they had to come to terms with the news that they were undocumented
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 102

and quickly find information about how they were going to attend college without the benefit of
federal financial aid.
Learning about AB 540 before Senior Year of High School
Not all undocumented high school students are surprised about their residency status
when they begin their college application processes, as described above. Ten of the thirteen
students interviewed knew that they were not citizens of the United States and did not have
authorization papers. However, knowing about one’s undocumented status is not equivalent to
understanding the details of AB 540. Joey and two other students found out about AB 540 before
their senior year. Five students, including Raul, found out about AB 540 during their senior year
of high school. Five other students, including Pamela, were unaware of AB 540 until they
walked on to their community college. The main difference between the experiences of these
students was the ability to secure funding prior to beginning college.
Joey Vasquez and Ester Moreno from Chavez College as well as David Hernandez from
Firebaugh College were able to prepare themselves financially to attend community college as
undocumented students because they learned about AB 540 early on in their high school careers.
Joey, as mentioned above, was able to apply for a scholarship through Chavez College. Ester
revealed her status to her high school counselor who helped her acquire funding through
scholarships. David had older brothers who are also AB 540 students so they served as role
models and helped him secure funding.
Ester from Chavez College was told specifically about AB 540 due to her confidence in
speaking openly with her counselor about her residency status. Her counselor assisted her in
finding out details about attending college as an undocumented student including researching
private scholarships. Ester did not consider attending college until her sophomore year, however
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 103

her counselor encouraged her to continue her education past high school. He told her about AB
540 and what she would need to do to finance her college education. Due to her counselor’s
forethought of informing her about AB 540 early on in her high school career, she was able to set
a plan in motion to prepare ahead financially for college:
[During] sophomore year I actually started going with my counselor and he told
me that being an undocumented… student was labeled as AB 540… I didn’t
know what that was until he explained it to me… during that process of from my
sophomore year to my senior year I discovered… how I could get into college.
That’s how I started to do the research even though there was not really the
money, but I wanted to have a plan. Yeah, so during my sophomore year that’s
when I discovered that I was AB 540.
Ester obtained a full scholarship for her freshman year that paid for fees, books, and incidentals.
She did not have to scramble during her senior year to look for financial assistance. She
continues to reveal her residency status as needed to staff and faculty members at Chavez
College in order to receive personal support. She shared:
So I really appreciate what [the staff members] do because without them I
wouldn’t be here right now. [I]t’s tough to get the money, but my parents … tell
me that … it doesn’t matter what they have to do, they want me … to continue
with my education.
Ester is an excellent example of a student that was able to enter community college with a
financial plan that she began developing since her sophomore year of high school. She credits
her planning for not have to work while she attends Chavez College. Her parents were able to
save money so that she could enjoy college and get involved in student organizations. She was
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 104

also elected into the Associated Student Body. Her parents continue to help her with expenses
and she is very grateful.
David Hernandez has two older brothers that had attended Firebaugh College as AB 540
students and are currently attending the University of California, Riverside. His parents and
another older brother, who did not go to college, help finance the brothers’ educations. To save
money, David completed as many Advanced Placement (AP) courses and exams as he could
while in high school. He took a total of sixteen AP exams although he “only passed thirteen.” He
says that he is used to people being surprised by the number of AP exams he took. He explained:
I [was] always told, “Why are you doing this? Why are you doing that to
yourself?” And I always had the same response, “You know what, it’s free, I have
the waiver, I can pay for a test for thirteen dollars instead of the ninety something
that I [would have had] to pay [without the waiver],” and I just took advantage of
that. Starting off in Firebaugh College I had already skipped many years, like
three years of college that I would have had to pay hundreds of dollars for. So it
helps to know what you want to do and to have three older brothers [who can help
you out].
David plans on being an engineer. He wants to transfer to the University of California, Berkeley.
He is waiting for his brothers to graduate before he transfers. This way his family will not have
three undocumented children attending universities at the same time. He is satisfied waiting for
his opportunity. He is using his time at Firebaugh College to take courses he knows will transfer
as well as improving his writing skills. He plans to take literature and business courses so he can
focus on his major once he transfers.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 105

Learning about AB 540 during Senior Year of High School
Some students are aware that they are undocumented as well as their parents and other
family members. Most are warned at an early age not to reveal this “secret” because of fear that
they or their loved ones might be deported. Many also know family members or friends that have
been deported, so this fear is supported by reality. When some undocumented high school
students begin to apply for college, they do not know what to do with the information about their
residency status. They attend workshops offered by high school staff and keep hearing the same
messages about applying for financial aid and including their social security numbers on college
applications and financial aid materials. Unless a school administrator mentions how to apply to
college without a social security number, some do not ask out of fear of revealing their
documentation status. The following stories are about students that knew about their
undocumented status and found out about AB 540 during high school.
Carlota Vigil from Chavez College was silent about her undocumented status. She
understood she was undocumented before beginning high school, but did not ask her teachers or
counselors questions about applying for college without a social security number. She did not
want to bring attention to her status or that of their parents out of fear of deportation. Carlota also
had strong feelings about discussing documentation status. She stated emphatically, “I think it’s
rude [to ask someone about their residency].” She was raised to believe that documentation
status was a topic that should not be brought up under any circumstances.
In high school, Carolta kept receiving flyers in the mail announcing “AB 540”
workshops. She never took part in any of the sessions that were offered. She did not know what
“AB 540” meant so never consider attending. During an open house for parents, a counselor
explained AB 540 to her and her family in private. The counselor was able to discuss AB 540 in
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 106

Spanish so her parents understood what it meant as well. Carlota immediately understood why
she had received the workshop notices. She was grateful to this sensitive counselor who
accurately assumed that she would need to apply for college as an AB 540 student. The
counselor also assisted her in applying for a scholarship for Chavez College.
Now she believes that it is fine if a student chooses to come forward to share his or her
own status – but as she declared strongly, it is clearly a personal choice. She shared this in the
context of talking to other college students about AB 540 issues. She was shocked when one of
her new friends from Chavez College casually stated that she was an AB 540 student. Even when
her friend revealed her status, Carlota did not state anything about her own situation. Carlota
remained shy while at Chavez College and rarely shared her own status with staff and faculty
members as well as other students. She volunteered to participate in this study because she wants
others to know about her college going experience and understood that her name would not be
revealed.
Jennifer Macias told her high school counselor that she was undocumented, however she
learned AB 540 from Robert Briones, a counselor from Firebaugh College during her senior
year. Jennifer heard a bit about AB 540 from a cousin who encouraged her to attend a workshop
offered by Firebaugh College to learn the details. Her cousin did not go to college, but knew that
a program existed that could help undocumented students with tuition. During the presentation,
she met Robert Briones, and began emailing him questions, “I met Mr. Briones and I was still in
high school and I would send him emails and he would help me through email. So [throughout]
the whole process he helped me through emails.”
It was unclear why her high school counselor did not explain AB 540 to her because she
revealed her status to him.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 107

Just my counselor [knew I was undocumented] because most of my teachers
didn’t know because I was afraid to tell them. Because most of the time you don’t
know how people will react to the situation you’re in. And sometimes you will
see like some people being racist and I was afraid even though like my teachers
liked me a lot. Yeah, I didn’t tell them. I was afraid to so only my counselor knew
and he was very supportive. He always like told me… that he was proud of me…
So besides my parents I have someone else that is proud of me. But, yeah, during
high school I was afraid to tell anybody about my situation.
Although Jennifer’s counselor knew about her residency status, was “supportive” of her
attending college, and “proud of her,” he did not share any information about AB 540. She has
applied for scholarships, but has not been successful in acquiring funding through this means.
She pays for her tuition by babysitting.
Eileen Espinoza, from Firebaugh College did not hear about AB 540 from her high
school counselor because “the counselor that I got, she wasn’t the best one.” A counselor from
Firebaugh College presented at her high school about AB 540, but she did not pay attention to
the details. She did know that she was eligible to pay in-state fees so she questioned her fee bill
when she enrolled in Firebaugh College and was assessed international student tuition rates.
Although she did not learn about AB 540 from her high school counselor or teachers, she
continues to visit her high school teachers for tutoring. For instance, Eileen discussed how her
high school English Language Development (ELD) teacher still helps her when she needs
assistance in writing papers:
[She still helps me] even after I graduated. [For instance,] I had to turn in an essay
my first since I got here… I was required, like, to write a research paper [for
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 108

English 1A]… I feel like writing is my weakest point, you know. And then I
would go back to high school to my ELD teacher and she would help me, even
[though] I wasn’t like a student anymore.
Eileen had a good bond with her high school English Language Development teacher, but no one
told her about AB 540. Eileen was unsure if her teachers knew about her status. “My English
[teachers], they didn’t know, or I don’t know if they knew that I was an AB 540 [student], since
they never required a social security unless when we went to field trips. But they were really
helpful.” Eileen thinks highly of her high school teachers, however they did not assist her with
AB 540 even though she arrived in the United States at age 15 with limited English skills. If the
teachers were aware of AB 540, they did not share this information with Eileen. She did not
learn about AB 540 from anyone in her high school. She was fortunate to have attended a
workshop presented by Firebaugh College staff during her senior year.
Annabelle Aceves also heard about AB 540 from Robert Briones. Annabelle was enrolled
in AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), a nation-wide program that prepares
students for college. AVID students engage in a range of college-readiness activities including
going on college visits and having presentations from guest speakers.:
So, once I started … looking at universities … my hopes went down … I didn’t
apply to any of them because… I [didn’t] have the money to go. So … I was in
AVID and we had guest speakers and Mr. Briones was one of them. [He
explained] AB 540 and all this stuff. [I realized], it’s okay… I qualify. So that’s
how I found out about [AB 540].
None of these students heard about AB 540 from their teachers or counselors. It is
possible that Annabelle’s AVID teacher brought in Firebaugh College counselor Robert Briones
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 109

as a guest speaker in order to inform undocumented students about AB 540, but Annabelle was
not told directly by any high school officials about her opportunities. She participated in AVID
because she intended to go to college, however her hopes about obtaining a college education
began to diminish.
No, [I didn’t hear anything from my counselors] because I would go [see them]
and it wasn’t like [they shared], “Oh, you might qualify for this and other
things”… I didn’t get no resource saying, “this could help you out,” or “[apply
for] this scholarship.” [I went to] senior studies … [This is when] the seniors
would go and get help with FAFSA, get help for planning, get help for any of
[that college] stuff. I didn’t qualify for FAFSA and after a while I stopped going
because those things weren’t relevant to me. So I just gave up hope on that. So, I
was stuck on my own for a while.
After Annabelle heard about AB 540 from the presentation by Robert Briones, she still
remained a bit skeptical. She had learned much about college-going in AVID, but Mr. Briones
was the only person that had mentioned AB 540 when she was in high school. When she enrolled
in Firebaugh College, she originally signed up for only one course.
I noticed the difference [in the fees]. It was two hundred something dollars if you
weren’t a resident – and I wasn’t a legal resident. So [the fees] were going to be
… more than a thousand dollars per year [if I took more than one class]. Mr.
Briones [told me] before I entered that [I would only have to pay] twenty dollars
[a unit] per semester [because] I could pay resident fees, that’s, like, normal. I
could manage that… When I first registered for classes I came to orientation and I
registered for only one class, but it was a thousand something dollars. I don’t have
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 110

a thousand something dollars to pay for one class. So after I turn[ed in] my AB
540 paper, [my fee bill] went down to … $70 because [I] only [enrolled in] one
class. [That’s] a major difference… [That’s] like, whoa. It’s beyond wow; beyond
belief. I actually took two classes because I went back [but] there was no more
room [in any of the classes I needed]. So those were the only classes I took until
the next semester when I [enrolled as] a full time student.
The only educator who explained to Annabelle that she qualified for tuition equity through AB
540 was Robert Briones from Firebaugh College. This is why she described paying in-state
tuition as “beyond belief.” Her suspicion of AB 540 continued until she completed her AB 540
paperwork and saw her tuition costs decrease to resident rates. For Annabelle, after seeing the
substantial change in her bill, she finally believed that tuition equity for undocumented students
in California was genuine.
Learning about AB 540 after Enrolling in Community College
Five students interviewed reported that they were unaware of AB 540 until they started
community college. For example, Arlete Perea, who was interviewed in Summer 2012 a few
days after she finished new student orientation at Firebaugh College, commented that she had
only learned about AB 540 a month before orientation from David Hernandez, a friend of hers
who was also interviewed for this study. In high school, Arlete was in a career academy for
health professionals. All of the college preparation workshops were conducted during class time
by a single counselor because students that participate in this program are expected to continue
their education past high school. The counselor that was assigned to assist the students in this
program knew Arlete did not have a social security number and was undocumented. However,
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 111

Arlete was not provided any information about AB 540. She felt “supported” by her counselor
and justified her counselor’s lack of knowledge or unwillingness to explain AB 540.
In high school, I didn’t really hear, “Oh. apply for the AB 540,” because I was in
an academy for health students, because I want to become a health professional.
But I didn’t really – my counselor was very – she was very supportive of me, but I
was the only one in my class who didn’t have a social security number ... And so
she wasn’t going to spend her only time to tell me, “Hey, you should do this and
this and you should apply for the AB 540.” So, I mean, it would have been nice if
she did that, but, um, it’s okay.
Arlete registered for classes at Firebaugh College right after she graduated from high school and
was assessed international student fees. She thought that she would be charged out-of-state fees,
which are high, but not as high as international rates. She learned about out-of-state fees from her
high school counselor. When she saw her fee bill, a month before orientation, she dropped all of
her classes except two because the total amount of her bill was much higher than she expected.
Her intention was to try to earn some money over the summer to cover the cost of at least two
classes. This possibility still seemed out of reach to her, but she wanted to make an attempt to
raise the funds. She knew that her friend, Firebaugh College student David Hernandez, who
attended her church was also undocumented so she asked him when she saw him in church how
he was able to pay such high fees. This is when David told her about AB 540. David escorted her
around Firebaugh to make sure that she would pick up the appropriate forms needed to begin the
AB 540 application in order to able to get her fees reduced and pursue her education at
Firebaugh College.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 112

I had a feeling [my fee bill] was going to be very high because I had learned about
out-of-state tuition. And so I kind of imagined, I think my fees [are] going to be
really high. But I just tried, and I registered for my classes, and I did what every
normal teenager would do. And I don’t know, it was just a blessing to have
somebody help me through that, because if I didn’t know about [AB 540] I
wouldn’t have done it. So I would have just said, “Oh well, I can’t go to college;
I’ll just drop out of my classes and I’ll work.” That was my plan.
After enrolling as an AB 540 student, Arlete attended orientation with a positive attitude
and returned to the career plan she had when she was going through the health academy.
I want to become an anesthesiologist… I’m planning on spending about three
years in community college, and then transferring out to a UC or Cal State, and
then applying to medical school and doing all that fun stuff.
Unfortunately, Arlete was unable to enroll as a full-time student for Fall 2012 because the
courses she had dropped were full. She also missed all the deadlines to apply for scholarships.
Three other students found out about AB 540 once they enrolled in Chavez College.
Francisco Cordova, Bernabel Ruiz, and Agustin Aragon were not notified about AB 540 from
their high school teachers or counselors. When they arrived at Chavez College, they learned that
they were eligible to pay in-state tuition rates. Francisco tried to ask at help at his high school by
revealing his status, but never heard about AB 540. Bernabel and Agustin were not encouraged
to attend college by high school staff and faculty members so they walked on to Chavez College
and met directly with a counselor to discuss their college options. This is when both of them
heard about AB 540.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 113

Misinformation
Receiving inaccurate information about college-going as an undocumented student can
greatly affect whether a student chooses to go to college. Two of the participants in this study
were told directly by high school officials that they could not continue their education past high
school. This type of incorrect information could make a student believe that college is not an
option for him or her or lose interest in pursuing information about going to college. However,
these two students demonstrated that when they received conflicting information about attending
college as undocumented students, they began to be wary of the information provided by high
school officials. This mistrust of educators by these students continued when they matriculated to
community college.
Carlota Vigil and Francisco Cordova from Chavez College were both told that they could
not attend college because they did not have social security numbers. Carlota was told by a
counselor in her career center that she could not graduate or go to college, but had just learned
about AB 540 from her guidance counselor. She was angry that this woman that worked at the
school would give such inaccurate information. She describes herself as quiet and shy. She
gathered up her courage and acted contrary to her personality, “I don’t know how, I don’t know
why... I told her that I was an AB 540 student and she told me that, “You can’t go to college.”
And I’m like, ‘Yes, I can!’”
Some students, like Francisco from Chavez College describes below, how a family friend
helped him dispel erroneous information that he heard from a high school counselor and teacher
about that he could not attend college as an undocumented student. Francisco’s mother shared
with a friend of hers that her son was not going to attend college because of his undocumented
status. The family friend told her that many undocumented students attend California state-
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 114

funded colleges and universities and suggested that he ask his high school counselors for more
information. His counselors did not provide him with information about AB 540 although he
revealed his residency status. He did not know about AB 540 until he enrolled in Chavez
College, but he did know that being undocumented could not exclude him from enrolling in
college. A counselor at Chavez College told him he was eligible for tuition equity under AB 540
after he enrolled. The counselor then assisted him in obtaining a scholarship for his first year.
The knowledge from his mother’s friend empowered Francisco with information to
question the authority figures that were giving him false information. Francisco questioned the
information provided by his high school counselors including one that “was, like Hispanic, too.”
He shared, “most of my counselors told me that I couldn’t qualify [to go to college] because I did
not have a social security number. And I was like, “I don’t think that’s right.” Francisco
persisted. After he started attending Chavez College he understood that he could apply for some
scholarships without a social security number. During high school he attended several FAFSA
workshops in order to hear the brief parts of each session in which scholarships were discussed.
He went to so many workshops that he now helps some of his friends that are citizens or legal
residents complete their FAFSA documents on-line.
Both of these students had difficulties in trusting administrators and faculty members
while at Chavez College. They both learned to consult several resources before believing
information that was distributed by educational professionals. Francisco used methods such as
asking several educators the same question to see if he received consistent information. He also
asked his peers their opinions about which staff members could be trusted. Carlota listened to
comments by high school and college officials then conducted her own research on the internet
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 115

to see if the information she was told aligned with what she discovered online. At that point, she
would begin to trust that individual.
The thirteen student participants in this study reported five difficulties that affect
undocumented students in pursing higher education via AB 540. First, some students are
unaware of their undocumented residency status until their junior or senior year. Second, the
biggest challenge among undocumented students is the timing of when they hear about AB 540
and learn how to claim the benefits of AB 540. The knowledge of AB 540 impacts a student’s
ability to make a financial plan, apply for scholarships, and enroll in classes. A third obstacle is
trusting high school and college professionals with information about their residency status. A
fourth complication is lack of information from by high school teachers or counselors about AB
540 even when students openly shared their status. Finally, having incorrect information
provided by educators about attending college as an undocumented student impedes students
from pursuing higher education.
Enrolling in college and claiming the benefits for AB 540 are the first hurdles that
undocumented students face when they begin their collegiate education. However, there are
additional barriers undocumented college students must face due to their residency situations.
Once undocumented students leave high school, they are no longer undocumented children who
cannot be asked about their residency status in primary and secondary school. They are
undocumented young adults. For the first time in their lives, they are more prone to the
possibilities of being exposed as undocumented and being deported because they want to engage
in the same adult activities as their peers including working, driving, riding public transportation,
and renting apartments.

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Challenges for Latino AB 540 Students Associated with Residency Status
All of undocumented Latino undocumented community college students interviewed
were from low-income families so financial issues were of primary concern. Being
undocumented meant that these students were unable to work legally. They held exhausting jobs
in food service, childcare, and manual labor while earning their degrees. They faced additional
difficulties due to their residency status including issues with travel, fear of deportation, and anti-
immigrant hostility.
Financial Obstacles
For undocumented students in California that qualify for AB 540, tuition equity benefits
assist them in being able to take courses toward a degree at a state-funded institution at the same
rate as documented residents of the state. Low-income students that are United States citizens or
authorized legal residents can apply for state and federal financial aid. Many will receive
financial aid packages. Undocumented students are foreclosed from this process. They are also
excluded from applying for most scholarships because FAFSA documents are usually required as
part of the application. This means that most undocumented students are responsible for paying
for all their college costs in full each term.
Many undocumented students have financial responsibilities beyond paying for college.
Some of the students interviewed reported that they assist their families financially by
contributing to the family’s income, playing a major role in running the household, or paying all
of their own expenses. Jennifer Macias from Firebaugh College actually takes on all of these
roles. She shared:
I don’t ask my parents for financial help because actually I help them financially
when I can… I do like, babysitting for family friends…So that’s mostly how I pay
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 117

for my own things…I have most of the responsibilities at home… I have to do
dishes, laundry; I have to cook; I have to keep the house clean… So it’s really
hard when you’re trying to like go to school and try to finish your education and
having to come home and having to do all the chores... It’s really difficult… I
[am] in school part-time, but it [is] very difficult because I divide whatever hours
I have left from school to babysitting and my job at home… It’s like having two
jobs and school.
Students like Jennifer have responsibilities like the other adults in their household. Some
students will assist their parents with demanding jobs in the service industry instead of taking on
a job of their own. For instance, Eileen Espinoza helps both of her parents with their work before
she goes to school. She explains:
In the mornings I will go work with my mom or with my dad and then I will come
here [to Chavez College] in the afternoons. I always like to come to school in the
mornings, but like there was a season that my parents like really needed help. So
went with my mom [to clean houses] and when my mom didn’t have anything to
do, I would go with my dad to help him clean pools.
Eileen prioritized helping her parents with their jobs over spending time on campus. She
accepted her role in her family as her parent’s assistant. One of her mother’s clients has been
generous to her family over the last two years. Eileen plucked up her courage and asked this
woman for financial assistance. She shared:
And I wanted [to ask her for support], and at the same time… I didn’t want to tell
because I didn’t know what [her] reaction was going to be. So I was like, “Come
on, you can do this!” So I went over there and I was like, “Miss, I want to tell you
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 118

since you know that I’m about to transfer to university and the tuition there is a
little bit higher than where I’m going and the books and everything… Is there any
way that you could help me with anything, anything that you want [so I can] add
it to what I have saved already for my classes and for my books.” And she was
like, “Where are you going?” And I was like, “To Cal State San Bernardino… and
I don’t have to like drive that far or [pay] rent or spend money and those kind of
things.” And she was like, “Okay… Well, if I give you $1,500 will that help
you?” [I said]. “Oh! Yes, yes, it would!” and she gave me a check for $1,500.
She’s been really helpful.
Eileen appreciated he generous gift from her mother’s client. She will put that money to good
use when she transfers.
Asking for money from people to pay for your education is difficult, as Eileen described
above. Agustin Aragon from Chavez College does not like to ask for money even through
scholarship applications. He noticed that his friends from similar economic backgrounds qualify
for financial aid do not have to apply for scholarships. He shared his strong opinion on the topic
of scholarships:
My whole thing on scholarships is… I don’t want sound cocky, but I feel like I
deserve them, so why do I have to compete with other people? I guess… I don’t
even know how to describe it. I didn’t want to compete. I didn’t want to do essays
to compete for money. To me, it just doesn’t seem right. But, considering that this
year I really have to get out of [Chavez College] and [transfer] so I have to get as
much money as I can get, so I’m going to have to put my ego away and just write
my essays and get as much scholarship [money] as I can get.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 119

Agustin is majoring in social work and business communications. He plans to transfer to Cal
State, Los Angeles, San Francisco State, or Sacramento State at the end of the academic year.
Raul Cruz does not like to ask his family for money. He earned most of his tuition at
Chavez College through scholarship competitions and started his first year as a transfer student at
a private institution a week after he was interviewed with all of his tuition covered by
scholarships. He reported:
I come from a low-income family and I’m the type of person, even if there’s a
little extra money in the family, I’m not one to say, “You have 100 extra bucks –
give ‘em to me so I can pay like for a book or something.” I have two younger
sisters and a younger brother. I’d rather have it spent on them than me.
Raul needs money for incidentals and other expenses, however he will not ask his low-income
parents for financial assistance. He believes that the money his parents have should go to his
younger siblings. He accepts his role as an adult in the family. He wants his parents to be able to
focus the money they make on the younger children in his family.
The undocumented college students interviewed are find it difficult to ask for money to
pay their college tuition and expenses. Some have financial responsibilities in their families or
help their families with household duties including childcare. All of the students interviewed
lived at home with their families. All of their decisions about college took into account their
family’s financial situations.
Hurdles Associated with Transportation
Traveling to and from school can be difficult for undocumented students. It can also limit
a student from getting involved in campus activities. Francisco Cordova worries about many
things including how he is going to commute to school every day:
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I [have] to think of a lot of stuff that will all be getting me stressed out. Like I
don’t even know what to do. Like sometimes, I’ll be doing homework and I’ll be
thinking, how am I going to get to school tomorrow?
Lack of transportation limits his involvement in community service and sports:
I actually like to do community service. I used to do community service in church
in stuff like that, but right now… I haven’t got time for none of that. I actually
want to find space on my time to like do that… I also play sports. I had to quit the
[Chavez College soccer] team because [of] transportation. It wasn’t giving me
time to take the bus, and then go to work, and then come over here. I had class at
seven in the morning and I’m like really tired and I need time for my homework.
Agustin Aragon also had to limit his participation in campus activities because of
transportation. He stated:
I haven’t really been [involved in campus activities] and the issue is
transportation. [However] whenever MEChA does something, that club, I’ll go
over to participate with them here and there. So other than that I haven’t. I’m not
as heavily involved as I wish I could be.
Eileen Espinoza limited her transfer choices due to costs including transportation. She
decided to go to a university that was close by her house. She could also save money by living at
home. She reflected on her choice to commute to a nearby university instead of moving out of
her house to attend her first-choice university:
I was thinking about going to all the way to Cal State Fullerton. Because a
counselor from there came [to Firebaugh College] and I told her about my major.
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And I was like, “well, it’s a long way over there.” And she [told me that] they had
my major at Cal State San Bernardino and so I changed my mind to going over
there. Yeah, I wanted to go [to CSU Fullerton] because I wanted to feel what it
was like to do that. I want to become independent… I’m going to Cal State San
Bernardino [because it’s] closer and I don’t have to drive that far or [pay] rent.
Overall, daily transportation can be stressful. Many students take the bus to campus each
day which can take over an hour to get to campus according to Jennifer Macias and Pamela
Castro. Others take their chances driving without a license. The inability to travel out of state can
also limit student’s opportunities. Pamela Castro described how two United States citizens that
participate in Nuestras Voces as allies were able to go to a leadership conference out of state. She
was disappointed that she was not selected. Her best friend, Nikki, from high school was able to
go to the conference even though she is not as active in the club. Pamela holds a leadership
position in Voces. She divulged:
Yeah, like my friend, Nikki, she got to go to the where they go to Texas and they
have that [leadership] conference…. Mr. Briones, he only let her and this guy,
Mitch, go because they’re the ones that can fly. And… like I don’t know, I think
it was a little unfair because I kind of dragged her into the club and like she’s
gone once or twice but she gets to go to all these opportunities because [she has]
papers like that.
Pamela understands why Nikki and Mitch were selected to participate in the conference, but her
resentment is attributed to her frustration of not being a candidate for consideration simply
because she cannot travel by plane as an undocumented young adult.
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Fear of Deportation
Undocumented students risk deportation each day. Raul Cruz from Chavez College
declared that he is irritated that he has to worry about deportation. He explained, “This is my
home. Why do I have to live in the fear of getting deported? Why? I’ve been here all my life. I’m
just as good as the next person who is a citizen.” Raul is a high-achieving student who works
hard. All of his siblings are documented so he knows that his life has not been that different from
theirs. He is unhappy that he has to worry about the possibility of being deported.
Fear of deportation put Bernabel Ruiz on a path toward college. Bernabel started off as a
high-achieving student in high school then his grades went down after ninth grade when he
thought that he would not be able to afford college because he thought that he would have to pay
out-of-state tuition. He dropped out in eleventh grade for a short period of time. A teacher
reached out to him and encouraged him to return to school and he graduated. He described some
of his encounters with law enforcement when he was in high school.:
I [graduated], barely, but I did. So that to my family was a big thing. Like I said,
[I was the] first one [to graduate from high school] and a lot of my friends didn’t
graduate… I was a big trouble-maker getting into a lot of problems with the cops.
I always limited myself because I knew that I [faced] different consequences [like
deportation]. [My friends] might get locked up for a couple of months. But that
didn’t scare me. What scared me was being [deported and] separated from my
family. That scared me and kept me in line.
Bernabel knew that he could excel in school because he had done so before. When he arrived at
Chavez College a counselor told him that he could make a fresh start and his high school grades
were unimportant. He is about to begin his third and final year at Chavez. He has a 3.0 GPA in a
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demanding program designed for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) majors.
He plans to earn his BA in engineering from Cal Poly Pomona then get a Master’s degree.
Chavez College students, like Bernabel and Raul, experienced seeing undocumented
students from their community college get detained for deportation. Two Chavez College
students were playing basketball on campus after hours. The campus security officers examined
their student IDs then asked them if they were undocumented when they could not produce
further identification. Once the students revealed their undocumented status, the officers arrested
them then contacted immigration authorities to pick them up. A semester before the interviews
with students from Chavez College were conducted, seven more undocumented students were
arrested at a rally held to bring attention to the plight of the students who were facing
deportation. For this reason, extra security measures were put in place when the students were
interviewed at Chavez College. Students that wanted to be interviewed provided a name to an
administrative assistant. The name could be their own name or a pseudonym. Their names were
immediately changed to another pseudonym once they entered the room where the interviews
were conducted. This was the agreement made with the counselor who approached students to
participate in this study. This request was respected and all of the students’ identities were
protected. There were expectations from the USC internal review board to protect the identity of
students, but the additional request by the college official stemmed from the fear of deportation.
Anti-immigrant Hostility
Negative rhetoric and intolerance toward undocumented immigrants, especially Latinos,
is prevalent especially in southern California and throughout the southwest. Microaggressions,
repetitive slights toward a person or group that causes an inhospitable climate, can have the same
effect as a major discriminatory act. Carlota from Chavez College already had negative
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 124

experiences with high school officials. During her first few days at Chavez College an incident
with some staff members made her feel unwelcomed.
Carlota was excited to receive a scholarship from Chavez College. She had just enrolled
in Chavez and asked one of her friends who had just picked up a scholarship check where she
should go to collect her check. Her friend told her to go to the financial aid office. Carlota went
into the office, like her friend, and asked for her check. She said that the people staffing the
financial office “were really, like, rude. They told me, ‘No you have to go to admissions or
something.’” She eventually she went to the admissions office and found out the procedures for
picking up a scholarship check for students that did not receive federal financial aid. The
admissions office staff members were helpful and directed her to the correct office. She was
finally able to pick up her check at the business office. She had to go to three offices before she
received her scholarship money.
Carlota also described a situation in which a professor advocated for her during class.
During her first semester, Carlota was given a class assignment to choose a controversial topic,
write a paper, and give a brief presentation. She picked “AB 540 and the DREAM Act” as her
topic because she wanted to learn more about AB 540 and could get credit for writing the paper
in the process. She understood that AB 540 was controversial topic, but she was not prepared to
hear some of the arguments against undocumented immigrant students from her classmates. She
said she was nervous when she gave her report. She cried during her interview as she spoke
about this experience. She said she did reveal her status to the class, but by her demeanor she
assumed that her classmates probably figured out that she was AB 540. At the end of her
presentation she was required as part of the assignment to ask if anyone in the class had any
questions. Through her tears, she explained what happened next:
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But only, like, one person, he, like … He said something about it like when I said
did anyone had any questions, he said… Because I had explained my thesis why
the DREAM Act is a good idea and I said that because people could help restore
the economy. Because students would pay higher taxes and so it will help and it
will also help when more professionals to be here and not have to bring them
from overseas. And then he said that, “No it that it would…” he said that “there
would always have to be in this country like slaves.”
After this comment from the student in the audience, Carlota did not have to respond because her
professor stepped in. Carlota was so grateful that her instructor actually broke protocol and
answered the question for her. The professor said that the question was a personal attack and
questions needed to be about the topic and the controversy of the topic. The instructor proceeded
to inform the class about how immigrants have been treated during hard economic times. The
instructor said immigrants right now are being blamed for the economic problems of the United
States just as the Jews were blamed for the economic problems of Germany and that the results
of Germany was the Holocaust of many Jews. To blame a single group for the economy was
same thing. Carlota did not have to answer any further questions. Later in the semester, she was
required to meet one-on-one with her instructor as part of another assignment. She had wanted to
thank her, but she did not know how to bring it up without breaking into tears. After the
interview, she took some time to compose herself when the recorder was off. She shared that
now that she had a chance to discuss the situation from the previous year, she might try to find
that professor and thank her.
Jennifer Macias from Firebaugh College was fearful of the possible repercussions of
hearing anti-immigrant remarks from her high school teachers. She expressed her anger about the
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 126

negative sentiments she heard in the media toward immigrants especially in reference to SB 1070
in Arizona, also known as the “show me your papers” law. She did not know if any of her
teachers harbored ill-will toward undocumented immigrants.
And it’s like how can they be so against something that most of us don’t even
know, like we come here as undocumented people, we have no choice. We’re
brought here when we’re little we have no opinion on it because you have to
come with your parents. So we don’t make it by choice. And to hear that “You’re
taking away our money and space and jobs,” it’s like, how? We’re the ones
helping the economy because people who are undocumented do work that other
people who live here don’t even want to do and for less money which should be
helping and it’s something that they see as something bad instead of good.
Jennifer did not want to be disappointed from her teachers that might espouse anti-immigrant
beliefs. She was wary about revealing her status to her teachers because she had heard so many
negative comments about immigrants from Americans on television. She was confused about
who to trust. She did share her residency status with her counselor, but that counselor did not
pass on information about AB 540.
In brief, financial issues are at the foreground of most issues that undocumented students
encounter. Undocumented students cannot work legally are compelled to take difficult jobs
mainly in childcare, food service, and manual labor. Other roadblocks due to their residency
status include issues with travel, fear of deportation, and anti-immigrant hostility. Despite these
challenges, students find motivation and encouragement from supportive relations from peers,
family members, and mentors.

AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 127

Supportive Relationships for AB 540 Students
Support from peers can help undocumented students adjust to college life. Nuestras
Voces is a student organization that has existed for four years at Firebaugh College. They have
approximately 45-50 active members consisting mainly of AB 540 students and a few allies.
Robert Briones is their main faculty advisor and Michael Paul Probasco is the co-advisor. The
organization participates frequently in campus events although no information can be found on
the Firebaugh website. The student leaders promote their organization and advertise their
meetings by word of mouth to encourage all AB 540 students to attend even ones that are less
likely to openly discuss their residency status with others. During a visit to one of their meetings
in the Spring 2012 semester, Robert and Michael Paul shared that the meeting was typical of
meetings throughout the year. Students supported each other by sharing academic successes,
including getting a high mark on an exam or paper, being admitted to a university, and receiving
a scholarship. They also shared personal information about their families. One student invited
participants to attend her sister’s upcoming quinceanera and another student shared the birth of a
niece or nephew. One key feature of each meeting is the agenda itself. A powerpoint slide
projected the agenda above the heads of the students in the classroom where the meeting took
place. Sections of the agenda included scholarship information, announcements, and leadership
opportunities. Pamela Castro shared some of the benefits of being in Nuestras Voces:
All the scholarship opportunities… the school events, the outreaches, and like the
trips we did like to the UCLA conference. I probably would not have heard about
that. We also have youth leadership events for Firebaugh students. I [would not]
get to do that [without participating in Nuestras Voces]. I [would not have] heard
about them.
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Pamela finds it difficult to reveal her AB 540 status with others. In the context of Nuestras Voces
events like the outreach presentations, Pamela talks about her experience as an AB 540 student to
workshop participants. She shared:
I guess I’m like a private person. I don’t really like to talk to other people about
[my AB 540 status]. So besides Mr. Briones and the Voces people I don’t think
anyone [knew] or [had] any idea… I was a member since 2009. I was vice
president this semester. I think that really helped me a lot to be able to talk [in
public]. Because I think if you had asked for interviews last year, I would have
been like, “No, I don’t want to talk to someone.” So, I think that helped a lot to
have to talk in front of a group of people… because [Voces is a big group] and
they get really rowdy.
Pamela gained confidence by participating in Nuestras Voces. She does not reveal her status to
others one-on-one, but she does speak openly about her experience as an AB 540 student during
outreach presentations when she is surrounded by other students in the club. Annabelle Aceves
also describes herself as quiet. Being part of Nuestras Voces has helped her be more outgoing.
The students in the club just voted for her to be president. She was surprised that she was
nominated and elected. She stated:
This last year I was secretary and now I’m going to be president. I’m nervous. I’m
not used to taking that big leader responsibility. I’m more in the background, but I
guess I worked hard to get here. Because they wanted me in there, so, I deserved
it, I guess.
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Both Annabelle and Pamela described their personalities as “shy,” but these introverted women
gained public speaking experience and became student leaders. Annabelle also found her
involvement in Nuestras Voces helped her save money. She explained:
I went to the Voces meetings, and they told me, “Oh, there’s books in the [Voces]
library. We have books we could let you borrow them.” So I haven’t bought a
book since. I never bought a book until last semester because I got a gift card
[from Voces]… The Voces meetings are really helpful because I went to class
with [some of the members] and we… help each other with our homework or
whatever.
Getting involved with Nuestras Voces helped Annabelle make friends, form study groups, and
use the book exchange program.
Chavez College does not have a club for AB 540 students. Some of the undocumented
students interviewed participate in MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan)
meetings and events. None of the students interviewed described holding leadership positions in
this organization. The advisor to MEChA, professor Patrick Astorga, was interviewed and did
not reveal that any of the leaders of the group were AB 540 students. However, the semester
before students were interviewed for this dissertation, MEChA sponsored a rally and
demonstration for the two undocumented students mentioned earlier from the college who were
detained pending deportation for playing basketball after hours. Francisco Cordova also shared
that MEChA was in the process of planning an event focused on the issues of AB 540 students.
As Agustin mentioned earlier, he gets involved with MEChA as much as he can depending on
transportation.
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Family members can also impel students to succeed. Family support was described by
interviewees in two ways. First, several students explained that they wanted to serve as role
models to younger siblings. Second, some students shared the care they received from family
members. Most of the students interviewed were the eldest child in their family. Nine out of
thirteen students were older than their siblings. Annabelle Aceves is an only child. Jennifer
Macias, David Hernandez, and Raul Cruz have older brothers or sisters. As the eldest child,
many of these students feel compelled to set the example for the rest of the children in their
families. Carlota explained why she decided to go to college:
Because I’m the oldest out of four siblings I have to be the role model for them…
I went through high school and I graduated and I knew that I wanted to go to
college, but I knew that I couldn’t go to a Cal State. I could, but I didn’t have the
money to go to it so I decided to go here [to Chavez College]…. Because my
parents work. They work like almost every day so I have to take care of [my
siblings] and then I have to help them with their homework.
Carlota’s sister is also undocumented and is in high school. Her two younger brothers are United
States citizens. Carlota is motivated to transfer to a university and continue to set a good example
for her brothers and sisters.
Arlete Perea is the eldest of five children being raised by a single mother. One sister is
undocumented and the other are United States citizens. Her brothers and sisters look up to her so
she has always excelled in school. Her mother wants her to succeed in college, however her
extended family members have openly expressed their disagreement with her decision to enroll
in Firebaugh College. She stated:
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I think I feel like most people in my situation. I feel like I can do it. But then
there’s always little things holding you back… My mom’s very supportive, but
like my uncles, my grandma, and all of those people are not. They don’t think I
can graduate from college or become an anesthesiologist because … If I were to
be an anesthesiologist right now I wouldn’t be able to work... So they told me,
“You might as well just work, don’t even go to college, don’t do this.” And they
want me to move [to central California] and work over there. I don’t want to
because I want to stay here. I’m already registered, why would I move? So that’s
still like a struggle I’m going through right now. I know my mom needs my help,
but I can’t sacrifice my whole life for that. I already sacrificed some things in high
school, so I don’t think I can sacrifice college. I’m doing my best, but it’s still
hard… So, hopefully I can overcome those obstacles and just become what I want
to be.
Although many of her close family members believe that she is making a mistake by going to
college and should be working to help out her mother, her determination to inspire her younger
siblings coupled with the support of her mother helps her work toward her goal of becoming an
anesthesiologist.
Raul Cruz receives encouragement from his family members who cannot not help him
with his college expenses. He articulated the important role his family plays in his education:
So all my education, I will not say that my parents haven’t helped me, because
they have. They’ve been my support and everything. Unfortunately, they have not
been able to supply financial assistance, but the support is a big deal, too.
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Raul understands that his family has a limited income. He grew up in this reality. He wanted to
express that the support he experiences from his family is not monetary, but it is valuable.
Family support can motivate a student to persist despite difficulties and the potential of
not being able to work in their field upon graduating. Bernabel Ruiz feels strength from his
family. For his undocumented brother who is two years younger, family support was not enough
to sustain his motivation to graduate. :
I want to get my Master’s. My family’s encouraging. I’m the only one studying
right now. My brother, he dropped. He graduated from high school. He’s 18. He’s
discouraged. He doesn’t want to do it. He said, “What’s the point, you can’t even
practice when you get a degree.” And that’s true. But I figured, I still want to go
for it. If I get deported someday, whatever, it does happen; but I’ll have that
degree and if it’s not worth anything here, it will be worth something somewhere.
Bernabel was the first in his family to graduate from high school. His family was so proud of
him. He had a difficult time in high school by getting into scrapes with the law and dropping out
for a short period of time. His grades suffered but he knew that he could succeed academically.
With his family’s reinforcement, he is motivated to continue his education.
Peers and family members can boost student’s morale and give them a purpose to
succeed. This type of support is necessary for students to be able to achieve their goals and
overcome roadblocks. The strength felt from loved ones cannot be discounted; however,
undocumented community college students also need faculty and staff members to actively work
on their behalf. Some faculty and staff members have the positional authority to advocate for
student needs, influence policies, offer resources, and embed students in networks that can boost
academic success in order to help undocumented community college students accomplish their
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goal of transferring to a university. The following chapter focuses on ways in which community
college staff and faculty members act as institutional agents who use their position and power to
assist AB 540 students in obtaining their academic goals.

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CHAPTER 5
FINDINGS: INSTITUTIONAL AGENTS FOR AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE
STUDENTS
The second research question in this study was: In what ways do faculty members and
administrators serve as institutional agents at Hispanic-Serving community colleges in promoting
the educational goals of Latino AB 540 students? To reiterate, an “institutional agent” is
An individual who occupies one or more hierarchical positions of relatively high-
status and authority. Such an individual, situated in an adolescent’s social
network, manifests his or her potential role as an institutional agent, when, on
behalf of the adolescent, he or she acts to directly transmit, or negotiate the
transmission of, highly valued resources (e.g., high school course requirements
for admission to 4-year universities). (Stanton-Salazar, 2011, p. 1068)
For AB 540 students, legal, political, and personal issues related to their documentation status
must also be addressed in order for AB 540 students to successfully accomplish their educational
goals.
In addition to interviewing students, ten administrators and faculty members were also
interviewed for this study with five from each college. Repeatedly, the efforts of two individuals
on behalf of AB 540 students at each of the community colleges were acknowledged in
interviews with students, faculty, and staff participants at each respective college. All ten of the
faculty and staff members assisted AB 540 students in several ways including providing
resources or advocating behalf of undocumented students, however, two faculty members
exhibited the most traits as institutional agents as understood by Ricardo Stanton-Salazar’s
(2011) framework on institutional agents. The actions and behaviors of these institutional agents
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were triangulated using the interviews of the other faculty, staff, and student participants.
Specifically, none of the questions posed to the participants requested information about either of
these educators. The respondents freely offered examples of their dedication to AB 540 students
reaffirming the validity of deeds performed in support of this population
In this chapter, first, the actions of institutional agent Robert Briones, a counselor from
Firebaugh College is presented. Next, the work of Patrick Astorga, a history professor at Chavez
College is revealed. Overall, evidence is shared about institutional agents from this study as they
assist students. Their work is described using social network framework presented in Chapter
One that was developed by Stanton-Salazar (2011, p. 1081). The actions and behaviors of these
institutional agents in providing integrative support, direct support, developing systems, and
providing system linkages and networking support are described below.
Robert Briones: An Institutional Agent from Firebaugh College
At Firebaugh College, a name cited by every faculty and staff member, as well as six out
of seven students interviewed, was Robert Briones, a counselor and professor at the college. The
list of faculty and staff members to be interviewed was provided by the Vice President of Student
Affairs. The students were sent an email by Robert Briones about the study. After some initial
interviews, students referred their friends who met the criteria for the study. Some of the students
interviewed never received the email from Mr. Briones however they had been influenced by his
work. Students spoke about his deeds with kindness and called him a mentor, resource for
information, and advisor. Robert was described by his colleagues as mild-mannered and deeply
committed to assisting AB 540 students and helping other professionals learn about issues
affecting AB 540 students. Robert serves as the primary advisor to Nuestras Voces, a student
organization that focusses on issues pertaining to undocumented students. Robert helped students
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form the club and has been the advisor to this group since it was founded in 2008. The actions
and behaviors mentioned by the interviewees and Robert Briones himself follow.
Integrative Support
Robert Briones has developed his approach to working with undocumented students over
years of study, observation, and, most importantly, personal connections with students. He
immersed himself in learning about undocumented students and has become a cultural guide for
many AB 540 students at Firebaugh College. A cultural guide is an institutional agent that helps
students gather information, assess problems and possible solutions in a collaborative manner,
and promotes and guides effective decision-making (Stanton-Salazar, 2011).
Robert was born in Mexico and educated in the United States like many AB 540 students.
However, unlike AB 540 students, Robert was able to become a United States citizen. Robert
began researching the intricacies of the AB 540 law as it was ratified in 2001. He shared that he
and some of his colleagues started talking to students about AB 540 right after it passed.:
For some of us [informing students about AB 540] was immediate… Early on I
started going to high schools and talking to students about AB 540 and being able
to go to college. I think as a school it’s maybe been the last four or five years that
I think we’ve had the biggest or the most significant impact.
Robert noticed that many qualified students were arriving at Firebaugh College without any
knowledge of AB 540 from their high school counselors or teachers. He also became aware that
many of his colleagues were not aware of AB 540 or only had a cursory awareness of the law.
The Vice President of Student Affairs stated that due Robert’s desire to serve AB 540 students in
the best possible manner, Robert decided to take a sabbatical away from his busy counseling job
in 2003. He wanted to focus on understanding as much information as he could about AB 540 as
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 137

a law and how Firebaugh College could best meet the needs of students that qualified for tuition
equity under AB 540. At the conclusion of his sabbatical, he put together a guidebook for AB
540 students, integrated more information about AB 540 into his outreach sessions with high
school students, and developed training sessions for faculty and staff members at Firebaugh
College.
Undocumented students view Robert Briones as a mentor and a role model. They share
news about their family lives, as well as excitement over gaining acceptance to a university or a
receiving a scholarship. He cares deeply for his students and it shows in his work. As a cultural
guide, he trains students to be self-sufficient, seek out resources on their own, and make
connections with people in their career fields. When students encounter roadblocks, he works
with them to derive at a solution. Annabelle Aceves, a Firebaugh College student stated:
Now that I’m at Firebaugh… I go more to Mr. Briones – Because he is like our
mentor, and overall and we see him as our outside father figure. So, we e-mail
him, or I e-mail him asking… What should I do?... And I’m not the type of person
to go asking for help. I’d rather manage my things on my own. Figure it out, but
then, [there are] times I can’t do it at all. So that’s who I go to. That’s the person,
that’s my go-to person here.
Faculty and staff members also see Robert as their main resource for AB 540 students. Randie
Valariano from Enrollment Management described Robert’s role:
We have a counselor on campus, Robert Briones and he is our liaison that
[provides us with] up to date information that he gets or we can share with each
other. He’s [also] the one that goes out to high schools and provides information
to [prospective students].
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As a cultural guide Robert Briones trains students on public speaking and telling their
stories in a formal in order to train faculty and staff members about AB 540. Students learn how
to deliver professional presentations. They will be able to utilize these skills for presentations for
classes, leadership activities, and in their careers.
As an integrative agent, Robert sees the value of helping students make connections
outside of Firebaugh. He connects Firebaugh College students with professional organizations
and programs at other institutions. He shared:
I have students who I’ve driven as far as the LA area for them to attend a
professional health conference where I felt that they would get a lot of
information… Things like going to scholarship banquets outside the area, taking
students to Long Beach to meet with the AB 540 club over there. Those are things
that are not part of my job that I freely do. For me, when I do those things it just
reminds me why I went into education and it just keeps me grounded as to the
importance of what it is that we do and how the little things that we do help others
– especially this particular group of students – [is important].
Robert combines his efforts as an integrative agent and networking coach when he trains
students to build networking skills to help them learn how they can reach out to individuals with
whom they want to connect. This way they transfer, they will be able to use these same skills to
make connections at their university and in the workforce when they graduate.
Robert encourages students involved in Nuestras Voces to invite individuals from the
campus or community that might help them later on in their careers. For instance, the students
invited a prominent physician who was raised in the community as the son of farmworkers and
has returned to the area to work as a doctor. Students had to contact this doctor, introduce him,
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 139

and follow-up by thanking him for visiting. He could have invited the physician himself, but he
used the request from students as an opportunity to train students to reach out directly to the
physician. He trained the students on professional protocols so that they would learn networking
skills that they will be able to utilize long after they finish their studies at Firebaugh College.
Direct Support
The majority of Robert Briones’ work is offering direct support to AB 540 students
including listening to students and helping them find resources as well as advocating for them
among his colleagues. Robert continues to learn about new laws and policies and has become the
primary resource for information on AB 540 students at Firebaugh for students, staff, and faculty
members.
As an enthusiastic and well-informed advocate, Robert has been able to help some of his
colleagues become more sensitive to the needs of AB 540 students. Along with some of the
students from Nuestras Voces, Robert designed and developed a training session for faculty and
staff members where students share their stories and college professionals learn about the laws
and policies that impact this population. Multiple sessions are held each year and have become
very popular. All of the staff members that were interviewed for this study had attended at least
one of these voluntary training sessions. Some attended these sessions because they had an issue
that they were trying to work through in their department to assist AB 540 students and hoped to
get advice on how to alter their policies. Others had recently become aware of AB 540 or met an
AB 540 student that had revealed their status and wanted to find out more about these students.
However, once they attended a session, they felt empowered to improve their internal policies
and procedures to make AB 540 students feel more welcomed.
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Robert explains that a book donation library in his office is a direct result from actions
taken by workshop attendees which allows him to offer a valuable resource. Some faculty
members who attended training workshops started giving books to Mr. Briones. Now, students
can check out a textbook from Robert and use it for the semester. Some professors who teach the
required math and English courses donated several copies for students to borrow. The students
share the books with each other and most of the books are returned promptly at the end of the
semester without Robert needing to do much follow-up. The Fall 2012 semester is about ready to
begin and there are stacks of textbooks on a shelf and along the floor behind his desk. He points
to the books and says:
Some faculty have donated books to me, books that I house here, and then in the
beginning of the semester I’ll have one of the students come in and I say, “You
want to take a look, see if there’s a book that you want? Yeah? Okay great, now
do me a favor, can you go ahead and write up every book and put it in Excel?”
Then we send it out [via email]. So I’ll give someone an opportunity to come in
and take first dibs and then they help me out and then we put the list out. Then the
students start to respond, “Well, I have this book,” and so they can interchange
books. But we’ve had, I mean, I’ve had some very good books. I had faculty give
me brand new books in biology and mathematics… that are very expensive. And
the students are usually pretty good about bringing them back. So, I think some
faculty have made an honest attempt to help with this by providing a book – used
books or new books.
The books are a great resource for AB 540 students so that they will not have to spend
money on books, but an added benefit is that the students that put the book list together get
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experience coordinating the program for that semester. They gain valuable leadership, volunteer,
and work experience.
Robert explains that the training sessions allow faculty and staff members insight into the
lives of AB 540 students, but he is careful not to overstate the effects of the program on faculty
and staff members. He understands that the faculty members that donate books have been moved
by the students’ stories of financial difficulties, but that does not necessarily alter their political
views about immigration. Robert explains:
Well, I think as far as the faculty here at Firebaugh, I think faculty are becoming a
little bit more aware that they have AB 540 students in their classes. That doesn’t
change how a faculty – instructional faculty – would teach a course or anything.
But at least they’re aware that some of the students do struggle. Just having some
get the chance to get their books and why. Does that change how [they view
immigration] policy? Probably not.
The objective of the training sessions is not to transform faculty and staff members into
institutional agents for AB 540 students. The purpose is to raise awareness about the issues AB
540 students face daily. In each session, a panel of students volunteer to tell their stories.
Students share any information that they choose. Some faculty and staff members are surprised
to see some of the students on the panels because they know them as students in the courses they
teach or students that utilize the resources from their offices on campus. Robert describes his
observations of the participants in the workshops:
And that’s when the big “ah ha” kind of moment comes in. When they see how
this – everything that is just on paper – the law and all that – but once you put a
real face to it and students are able to share their experiences, it’s no longer about
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 142

a law; it’s about human beings – and that’s what makes the huge difference… So,
I think slowly, you know, we’re gaining some ground as far as having a better
understanding across campus.
Some encounters with faculty and staff members have been challenging for Robert. Michael Paul
Probasco, a counselor at Firebaugh, describes how Robert does not hesitate to speak to
colleagues who are not supportive of AB 540 students. He remains calm and relays information
about AB 540:
We have a few, and I will admit we have a few vocal naysayers, if you will. And
[Robert] does a very good job at educating them. Not arguing with them, but just
giving facts and then letting them do with the facts what they will… They start
out very confrontational and he gives them the facts, then they tend to kind of
disappear. I don’t know if they disappear because all of a sudden they’re
embarrassed by their initial statements, or because they’re not willing to carry on
the conversation because they recognized that there’s things that they didn’t
initially know and they don’t have a real good response for it, or because they
recognize that well, maybe I was wrong and I need to rethink this, and they need
to go away to rethink it before they comment further. I don’t know why, but they
disappear after their initial comments – after Robert gives them a little education
on it. And I gotta tell you, let me just say this, boy am I proud to work with
Robert.
Robert explained his approach to advocating on behalf of AB 540 students with faculty and staff
members who are vocal about not supporting AB 540 students:
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I had a colleague here who is very dear to me, and he wasn’t quite supportive of
AB 540. But through the different discussions that we had now he’s very happy to
help me in anything that he can. It’s just sometimes lack of information – I don’t
want to use the word ignorance but – just the lack of information, people have
biases. But then when people are able to learn how students are being benefited
and how they can benefit the economy and this is not about immigration law –
this is about the human spirit, human potential and achievement – it changes
everything. It really changes everything and being obviously an advocate and
supporter of AB 540… I hope that more and more people… share the
information, because that’s what it’s going to take.
At Firebaugh College, Robert Briones has been successful in training staff and faculty
members to create an environment that is welcoming for AB 540 students. He stays in contact
with students long after they have left Firebaugh because “they are my students.” He shared that
he does “little things” to assist AB 540 students and his colleagues. As his colleagues described
him, Robert Briones is very unpretentious. The “little things” that Robert describes are why the
majority of participants that were interviewed at Firebaugh College – students, staff, and faculty
members – mentioned him and his work. He does not want much recognition, but he strongly
affects the campus culture. Also, by training other faculty and staff members about the needs of
AB 540 students, if he were to leave Firebaugh for any reason, his influence will have a lasting
legacy. In this respect, Robert is effective as a system developer.
System Developer
As a result of the training sessions by Robert Briones and the students from Nuestras
Voces, faculty and staff members were influenced to implement changes within their own areas.
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At a systems level, the information learned at the workshops has helped inform policies at
Firebaugh College and other California community colleges. Faculty and staff members that
attend the sessions learn about new legislation that has passed and are motivated to alter their
departmental policies and train their staff. Some faculty and staff members have attended more
than one session especially when laws or policies have been changed that will impact their work
with students. For example, Dan Huerta, the director of financial aid mentioned in his interview
that he will need to provide training to his staff about AB 131 because students will be able to
begin filling out the California Dream Act Application to apply for some state awards that will
become available beginning in Fall 2013 (California Student Aid Commission, 2012). Dan also
remarked that Robert has been influential in advocating for improvements by providing
constructive criticism and assisting others in understanding policies. An added value is that many
faculty and staff members at Firebaugh are aware of AB 540 students. As counselor Michael
Paul Probasco shares, “I feel like we’ve got one of the most educated faculties in the state
regarding AB 540 – totally because of Robert Briones. I just gotta tell you, it’s him. The guy’s
dynamic, he’s really committed.”
Two staff members at Firebaugh College who have worked at other community colleges
admitted that they did not know much about AB 540 prior to working at Firebaugh. Moises
Cisneros has worked in California community colleges for nine years. He is a director in student
life and works with student government leaders. He first went to one of the workshops because
one of the student leaders he advised shared that he was an AB 540 student so Moises said that
he wanted to be better informed about AB 540. He explained:
Prior to coming to Firebaugh College, I worked at Hills College, which is an
entirely different population of people and I had very limited experience with
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students that qualified under AB 540. When I came here, I think I had kind of a
naive and very sheltered understanding, I guess. I was ignorant in a lot of ways
about who these students were and what the intent of that law is and what it
affords people. So, pretty quickly once I got here it became something that I felt
like I needed to understand, because it was very, very different.
Moises is also active in statewide organizations. He advises the statewide student senate and is
also a leader in the statewide student affairs organization for the community college system.
Moises was inspired by the students who shared their stories and was empowered with the
information he learned from the workshops. While in Sacramento attending the statewide events,
he felt compelled to lobby on behalf of AB 540 students. Moises brought up issues he had heard
about by talking to Robert Briones and the AB 540 students at the training. He also questioned
statewide policy decisions about how AB 540 students might be affected.
Similarly, Michael Paul Probasco, who is now the co-advisor to Nuestas Voces, had little
experience with AB 540 students prior to working at Firebaugh. Now his former colleagues are
asking him to explain the the policies that are in place at Firebaugh for AB 540 students.
I would say it was probably 2006 when I first started working at Firebaugh when
[I learned about AB 540]. [Before this] I was working as an adjunct counselor [at
a community college] up in the San Francisco Bay Area. [At my previous
institution, there was not any training about AB 540]. In fact it’s really interesting,
after I started here at Firebaugh I actually received …a phone call from my former
dean [in 2008]… asking me about what we’re doing down here with AB 540
students and how we’re handling our process down here and what’s your affidavit
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 146

look like and all that, because they were trying to put together a program up there
to support AB 540 [students].
Robert Briones is also effective at developing system linkages for AB 540 students.
Through Nuestras Voces and the training sessions, he also bridges AB 540 students with faculty
and staff members who can offer assistance.
System Linkages and Networking Support
A network has formed among faculty and staff members that have attended the Nuestras
Voces training sessions putting Robert in the role of coordinator. This group developed a
scholarship fund for AB 540 students, mentioned by Robert earlier, in which staff and faculty
members anonymously give a one-time gift or donate monthly through a payroll deduction.
Acting as a coordinator, in his contact with faculty members in the workshops and one-on-one
Robert enlightens his colleagues about some of the physical resources, including books and
financial assistance, which students need in order to succeed at Firebaugh. Mr. Briones explains
that the connections that faculty and staff members make with students at the workshops
reinforce the dialogue he has with faculty and staff members. Through coordinating the
workshops and providing a forum for students to share their stories is “how we get books and
that’s how we get some faculty and staff to volunteer on the monthly deduction, which is great.”
Randie Valariano, a high-ranking staff member in enrollment management described her contact
with the group:
Robert Briones has worked closely with a lot of the students, and has empathized
with them… They have a very great wonderful group on campus that’s called
Nuestras Voces. And the first time I was invited to go to their orientation or
workshop [where] they had to introduce you to [their] struggles; it made me cry.
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[The network of staff and faculty members that have attended the training
sessions] has grown on campus. Dr. Charuni, …our dean of enrollments services,
[started working at Firebaugh College] a little over a year ago. She was invited [to
a workshop] and she was touched. So while several people had talked about
starting a scholarship program for the students that were undocumented… she
completed the process and facilitated the implementation of a scholarship for AB
540 students or Nuestras Voces. So, there are some employees on campus that
have that [have money] taken out of their paychecks automatically to go to that
scholarship… [Undocumented students] have such – I think all students do, but
[these students in particular have] an added wall or an added barrier that they have
to overcome, but with such a positive attitude. It’s just so overwhelmingly
wonderful to listen to them.
The scholarship deductions began in the middle of Spring 2012 and the first recipients were
awarded scholarships in Fall 2012. Only two scholarships of $200 each were dispersed to
students, but the scholarship amounts will continue to grow as more faculty and staff members
attend workshops and agree to give their anonyms deductions.
After attending these sessions, Robert acts as a bridging agent by inviting faculty and
staff members to participate in Nuestras Voces general meetings and provide information to
undocumented students. Dan Huerta, the director of financial aid emphasized:
I’ve had several interactions with [Nuestras Voces] where we do a financial aid
presentation, just provide a resource and support for them, [and answer] any
questions they have. The college has scholarships that are available and has had
scholarships available to non-residents – undocumented students – that are made
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 148

available through the foundation office [so I inform the students at the Nuestras
Voces meetings].
Dan Huerta also stated that the financial aid office also made changes to the way that they talk
about financing education to incoming and continuing students. Instead of just talking about
FAFSA, they make sure to discuss scholarships in case students do not qualify for federal
financial aid. He trains his staff to not make assumptions about students by simply telling them
apply for financial aid. Undocumented students feel comfortable using the financial aid office as
a resource because Mr. Briones has worked to bridge students to Dan Huerta who is
knowledgeable about financing education.
Students have also noticed a change in the faculty and staff members that attend the
workshops. Jennifer Macias labeled them as “allies.”
Allies in the sense that we do workshops for faculty and staff. That way the
faculty and staff know what’s going on. And most of the faculty and staff have
been very supportive. Like even when we’re doing our speech they can tell like
that we’re all nervous. Sometimes we even cry because we have to tell them our
own personal stories. Sometimes it’s really difficult. …That’s pretty much where
you get people who will become your allies because they start understanding you
and what you go through. And they tell you, “We’re here to help you.” You notice
that because at the end instead of just giving you a handshake they give you a hug
and they tell you, “Oh, anything you need, just let me know.” The little things like
that, that maybe to other people won’t seem like as important, but to us it really
shows us that we got across to them – they understand what we go through. And
it’s really helpful because some of the professors even give us some books… I
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remember the last time I was with Nuestras Voces that we did a workshop
[professors were asked to voluntarily donate to a scholarship fund]. I remember
that I saw quite a few professors signed this form. For us to see that just a few,
just like ten of us got across to them is really important because, now we’re
getting somewhere…So, that’s really something that maybe to other people might
not seem as a big deal, but it is because we know that we’re getting [our situation]
across.
The training program has been such a success so Robert shared that the students decided
that they “wanted to take their program on the road.” Now they go with him to local high schools
when he recruits new students. In the recruitment sessions, AB 540 students inform high school
students and not only about the law, but about some of ways in which AB 540 students might
experience college-going. Robert or co-advisor Michael Paul Probasco, who is also a counselor,
attend these sessions with the AB 540 students to provide high school students with information
that is administrative or policy-related. Robert is proud of the progress that they have made at the
high school level, but he knows from the stories students share with him once they are at
Firebaugh, that there are still issues with high school teachers and counselors:
I’ve been doing presentations [for high schools] probably since about 2003. But
about 2008, that’s when I started taking students with me. We’ve done
presentations for the high school counselors in conferences or workshops that we
have here at Firebaugh. So, I think in general I’ve seen a better awareness or at
least a more open mind to assist the AB 540 students at the K-12 [level] as well in
the last I would say three, four years. Some of the schools have been very good
about trying to identify the students earlier on. And of course I still hear those
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god-awful stories about my counselor said, “I should just go back to Mexico.” But
you know that’s going to happen, it’s just something that we know. And we tell
students, “well, you’re here, and while you’re here you’re going to do what’s best
for you.” That’s all we can do is move forward with that… Some schools are
really good about inviting me on a yearly basis… and most schools seem to be
pretty open to having us there. But with some schools, unless I call them they
won’t remember to. Again, it’s not the population that gets the most attention, and
that’s been very apparent; very clear to me, that this population just doesn’t get
much attention at that level.
As a dedicated recruiter, Robert does not wait for high schools to contact him. He values
connecting with undocumented students before they arrive at Firebaugh or continue their
education beyond high school. He is aware that not all college recruiters share the benefits of AB
540 and the financial options beyond applying for FAFSA. His commitment to this population of
students extends past Firebaugh. As some Firebaugh students indicated in earlier sections of this
dissertation, their connection with Mr. Briones prior to enrolling at Firebaugh is how they
learned about AB 540.
Overall, Robert Briones is very committed to Firebaugh College and AB 540 students in
general. He offers assistance to high school students through his work as a college recruiter by
intentionally speaking about AB 540 to make sure students are aware. Once AB 540 students
enroll in Firebaugh, he continues to serve as an advisor and advocate. He also connects AB 540
students with faculty and staff members so students can expand their support networks. Finally,
he helps students make connections at universities so they can successfully transfer. At Chavez
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College, institutional agent, Patrick Astorga, connects with AB 540 students differently than
Robert Briones. The next section contains Patrick’s unique approach to working with students.
Patrick Astorga: An Institutional Agent from Chavez College
At Chavez College, history professor, Patrick Astorga, is the advisor to MEChA
(Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan), a Chicano student organization with chapters
nationwide that has existed since the late 1960’s. A club for AB 540 students does not exist on
his campus, however issues facing AB 540 students are included in every MEChA meeting. AB
540 students, many who are Mexican nationals at this institution, find allies among their
American-born counterparts in MEChA, according to professor Astorga. AB 540 students that
are not of Mexican descent also participate in club meetings, rallies, and events that target
undocumented immigrants. Patrick also encourages his student leaders to develop allies with
students from all ethnic backgrounds.
Patrick Astorga was mentioned by four out of seven students interviewed by name or as
the advisor to MEChA. The Vice President of Student Affairs provided a list of staff members
that might serve as participants, however professor Astorga was not on that list. A call was
placed to his office and he agreed to be interviewed. During his interview, he mentioned that he
was involved in the Chavez College Latino Faculty and Staff Association. He provided a few
names of potential interviewees. Additional staff and faculty participants were selected by
recommendations of interviewees or by contacting individuals based on their job title. The four
additional faculty and staff participants all mentioned the work of Patrick Astorga.
Integrative Support
Patrick Astorga’s predominate role as an institutional agent is as a cultural guide. As the
advisor to MEChA and within his history classes, Patrick is very vocal about his support for all
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students – especially students that are marginalized. He is enthusiastic about students
understanding the history that drives politics. He shared why many AB 540 students take his
Chicano studies course:
It really is the same case for any group of people. If they don’t know their history;
they don’t know where they’re from; they don’t know their accomplishments;
then anybody can tell them anything. That’s what’s happened. So what I’ve
noticed is people take my course which underlines the ideas behind Chicanismo;
the ideas behind our indigenous roots; the ideas behind our community... They
say they are lucky to be in this class. I say you’re not lucky you’re here. These are
your lands; your grandpa’s bones; your grandma’s bones; … hundreds of
thousands of generations have been buried here… I think that begins to change
the perceptions of what they’re entitled to and really what they should be fighting
for.
By taking his history class, Patrick helps Mexican undocumented students understand that their
ancestors occupied the land that is now part of Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Students
are empowered to combat anti-immigrant comments from this historical insight.
Francisco Cordova, a student at Chavez College, shared that professor Patrick Astorga is
a role model for AB 540 students:
[Professor Astorga is] the coordinator for MEChA…He’s like actually trying to
do like a meeting for us. Like last time I spoke to him, he was telling me that he’ll
have all my support for anything that I do. Like so far [no one else has] told me
that same thing. So I would like to have him as a mentor. Because, like, he’s
really straight up to people…When he gives a lesson in class, he’s really good… I
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find a thing from him that I haven’t seen in other teachers. So he’s really good. I
think that he would be a speaker for us, for the AB 540 students, because he’s
Hispanic, too. So he’s like the only one that I [talk] to.
English professor Karen Buluran said that she has seen how Patrick has empowered some
of the AB 540 students in her class to speak about their situation or political actions on campus
by being involved with MEChA or by taking his history class:
Once in a while, [AB 540 students] want to bring [issues facing undocumented
students] to the class’ attention [for instance] maybe there is going to be a
march… I find those students to feel more self-confident in spite of their
frustration or perhaps fear. They’re more likely to speak up because of an
experience like Puente or being part of MEChA or maybe they took Professor
Astorga’s history class.
As a professor of history and advisor to MEChA, Patrick is accessible to AB 540 students. He
acts a cultural guide and respects the situation of AB 540 students.
Direct Support
Patrick directly supports AB 540 students in the classroom, as a club advisor, and as an
advocate. He describes his interactions with undocumented students:
So when [MEChA at Chavez College took on a stronger identity as a Chicano
organization] we began to see what kind of resistance there was going to be to try
to make sure these [undocumented] people are treated as human beings in our
society. Particularly ones who came here when they were one, or two, or three
years old and now I am advising them in the role of a club advisor… They are
either in my class or in my club… I’ve got people in my class ask me questions
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and I [have] to refer them to legal people and… I got people in these
organizations who are working with me trying to figure out their role and what
they’re going to do to help not only the campus but the community [with
undocumented individuals].
The AB 540 students interviewed recognize how strongly Professor Astorga supports
them. In return, some AB 540 students get involved with MEChA even when it is difficult for
them to find time to participate in other campus organizations. When he was asked if he was
involved on campus, Chavez student, Agustin Aragon replied that he has difficulty getting
involved due to transportation issues, but he makes an exception when it comes to MEChA:
No. I haven’t really been [involved on campus, however] whenever MEChA does
something, that club, I’ll go over to participate with them... So other than that…
I’m not as heavily involved as I wish I could be.
Patrick is a role model and mentor to students. His strongest role as an institutional agent
is as a political advocate. His willingness to speak on behalf of undocumented students is known
to the campus community, especially AB 540 students.
System Developer
Patrick is unyielding in lobbying for students politically. He confronted some of the local
school authorities about AB 540 when some undocumented students shared that they were told
by individuals at their high schools that they could not enroll in Chavez College. He described
his actions:
[Undocumented students] didn’t know they had the right and they were being told
by their school this and that. And I told them in fact there is a law called AB 540.
We went down there and talked to these counselors and we talked to these deans,
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we talked with these vice presidents – and they resisted as usual – and after they
recognized that I wasn’t going to relent and the Latino community wasn’t going
to relent, people were beginning to be asked less questions.
Unfortunately, the climate for undocumented students at Chavez College was weakened
in Spring 2012 when two undocumented students were arrested by campus security for playing
basketball after hours on campus. They showed their student IDs and admitted they were
undocumented when they were asked for further documentation. The campus officers contacted
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the students were detained pending
deportation. MEChA organized a peaceful demonstration and seven undocumented student
activists from neighboring colleges and universities were arrested. Patrick described the effect on
AB 540 students:
So when you got two students who have been deported because they were playing
basketball and when they showed their school ID’s. They went a step further and
found out they were undocumented and picked them up. You are going to get
people who are going to recognize this is not a wise thing to be telling people who
you are and who you aren’t. I’m… just saying caution maybe the word of the day
for some people to survive. There probably is a more cautious atmosphere here
maybe than other places.
After these incidents, it would seem that AB 540 students would be more hesitant to more
actively involved in MEChA. From the students interviewed, the opposite was true for four
Chavez College students interviewed. Carlota Vigil explained, “I want to join a club here at
school called MEChA. I’ve gone to their meetings… when they talk about things it just makes
me happier.” There are different levels of involvement students can take as part of a student
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organization. It seems that AB 540 students at Chavez College are aware that they can find a
sense of belonging in MEChA and with professor Astorga.
System Linkages and Networking Support
When professor Astorga was interviewed, he quickly mentioned three names of
individuals that work closely with AB 540 students. He acts as a bridging agent to link students
to other institutional agents through the Chavez College Chicano Latino Faculty and Staff
Association. Professor Astorga is very active in this group and shares information with faculty
and staff members who cannot attend the meetings. A Puente counselor, Josefina Pedroza,
explained how information is shared at these meetings in student services and among faculty
members:
We do have Latino Faculty and Staff Association and through the association I
think information will get funneled. We have people within financial aid, student
services, and instruction so I think among the members we’ll do our best to share
the information.
At Chavez College all of the faculty and staff members interviewed mentioned the strong
Latino Faculty and Staff Association. Some of the individuals interviewed were more involved
with this group than others, however every administrator and faculty member discussed this
group as a place that issues affecting AB 540 students were discussed. Some of the topics
included ideas about finding scholarships and integrating students into programs such as Puente.
The faculty and staff members shared that the meetings were a great forum for hearing about
changes in laws and policies so that they could share information with the students in which they
are in contact.

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Empowerment Agents
A special type of institutional agent is an “empowerment agent” who possesses a critical
consciousness and is motivated to push or dismantle the boundaries of hierarchical social
structures on behalf of low-status youth (Stanton-Salazar, 2011, p. 1090). Stanton-Salazar (2011,
p. 1090) provides five characteristics of an empowerment agents. In this section, the evidence
from the interview data from faculty members, staff members, and students are analyzed in order
to identify if either Robert Briones and Patrick Astorga demonstrate these characteristics.
The first criterion for an empowerment agent based on Stanton-Salazar’s schema (2011,
p. 1090) is:
The degree to which they are aware of the social structural forces within society
and within their institution that function to problematize the success of low-status
students. (e.g., low financial resources, lack of recruitment, and retention efforts)
Robert Briones and Patrick Astorga have worked at his respective institution for thirteen
and fourteen years. Both are well aware of the social structures in society that can limit AB 540
students. For instance, they both understand that undocumented students are limited in being able
to apply for federal financial aid and come from low-income families. Robert also conducts
recruitment sessions, however this is part of his job as a counselor at Firebaugh College. Specific
questions were not asked about low financial resources and the retention and recruitment of AB
540 students.
The second characteristic of an empowerment agent is, “On their level of critical
awareness that the success of low-status students or youth within the institution is contingent on
their receiving systematic and tailored provisions of “institutional support.”’ In both cases, the
topic of money being allocated to AB 540 students was not addressed in any interviews with
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faculty members, staff members, or students. Robert must have a budget to conduct his training
sessions, however this was not discussed in the interviews.
The third gauge to identify an empowerment agent applies to both individuals, “On their
willingness to not act on the established rules of social structure that serve the purpose of
consolidating resources within the upper levels of the hierarchy (e.g., advocating only for
students in advanced placement courses).” Neither Robert nor Patrick consolidate resources for
privileged groups.
The fourth trait of an empowerment agent is:
On the contents of their identity and their ideological commitments –particularly,
on whether they identify themselves as one of those agents responsible for
advocating on behalf of the low-status students and for providing them with
varied forms of “institutional support”
Robert demonstrated his awareness by going on sabbatical to study AB 540 students in depth,
forming a training session for faculty and staff members, and advocating for undocumented
students among his colleagues even those who politically oppose undocumented students being
on campus. Patrick demonstrated his awareness by advising students in planning a rally for
undocumented students who had been detained for deportation, going out to neighboring high
schools and confronting administrators who had told students that they could not enroll in
Chavez College.
The final quality of an empowerment agent also applies to both institutional agents,
“Their motivation and willingness to be identified by the larger personnel community that they
are an advocate and an agent for low-status students.” Robert was identified by the Vice
President of Student Affairs as the “local expert” on AB 540 students. The students identified
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him as their “go-to” person and six out of seven students talked about his work with them by
name. His work with AB 540 students was also mentioned by all of the staff members
interviewed.
Patrick was not recommended for an interview by the Vice President of Student Affairs.
During his interview he stated that he had conflicts with the Vice President as well as the
President due to his involvement as the advisor to MEChA who held a recent demonstration and
rally for the undocumented students who were detained. His name or title as the advisor to
MEChA was brought up by four out of seven of the students interviewed as an ally to AB 540
students. All of the staff and faculty members mentioned him as a leader in the Chavez College
Latino Faculty and Staff Association and as an advocate for AB 540 students.
Overall, Robert Briones from Firebaugh College and Patrick Astorga from Chavez
College are acknowledged by students, faculty members, and staff members as leading the
campus as supporters of AB 540 students. From the data collected, evidence of empowerment
agents could not be determined; however, this study was designed to examine the work of
institutional agents, not empowerment agents. It is possible that each individual does meet these
criteria.

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CHAPTER 6
DISCUSSION
AB 540 is a law in California that allows undocumented students that qualify to pay in-
state tuition. Understanding the law itself is only the beginning of the journey for these students
determined to obtain higher education. They still need to navigate a route to their college degrees
filled with legal roadblocks and personal obstacles. Their path is complicated, but can be
facilitated by connecting with knowledgeable institutional agents at the high school and
community college levels. Institutional agents that work with undocumented Latino students in
California who qualify for AB 540 need to be aware of the legal restrictions and societal issues
that these students face daily. Institutional agents can then utilize their positional power by
offering direct resources to students; integrating students into academic and career networks
from a cultural knowledge perspective; developing systems of support; and connecting students
with programs and individuals directly as well as brokering new paths for students to succeed.
Discussion of Findings
The findings from the two previous data chapters, which correspond to the two main
research questions are discussed in the context of the literature reviewed. The overarching
research question for this study is: In what ways do undocumented Latino community college
students become aware of their rights under AB 540 and how to access this benefit? Two
research questions guided the study:
1. What support mechanisms assist Latino AB 540 community college students and
what challenges inhibit their college-going experience?
2. In what ways do institutional agents at the college level facilitate access to college
and on-going support for undocumented Latino students?
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Overall there are six findings. Three are in response to research question one, revealing the
support and challenges shared by the thirteen undocumented Latino community college students
interviewed. Two findings are related to research question two, detailing the types of support
reported at Firebaugh and Chavez Colleges by institutional agents. One finding pertaining to
empowerment agents, crosses both questions. Recommendations for practice and further research
are included related to the findings following the discussion of the findings.
Support and Challenges in Obtaining Information about AB 540
The answers by the thirteen student participants to the first research question illustrates
the support mechanisms that assist Latino AB 540 community college students and the
challenges inhibit their college-going experience. Details about the support and challenges for
the students studied can be found in the fourth chapter, however the most important experiences
are reflected in three findings which follow. First, peers, family, and community members
provide support for Latino AB 540 students. Second, the timing in which students became aware
of the tuition equity benefits of AB 540 (before senior year, during senior year, and after
enrolling in community college) poses the greatest challenge to students being able to attend
college as AB 540 students. Third, financial obstacles are the most significant hurdle for
undocumented students.
The students interviewed shared that they found support from peers and family members.
They provide encouragement and reinforce students’ decisions to continue their educations. The
peers interviewed connected with each other in the Firebaugh AB 540 club and Chavez College
MEChA. They shared academic information including scholarships as well as news about
changes in policies and laws that directly affected AB 540 students. Undocumented peers also
connected with each other and supported each other emotionally. All faculty and staff members
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who work at colleges and universities do not have issues with residency. For this reason, peer
support was vital for survival in order for undocumented students to learn how to navigate the
daily challenges of living as AB 540 students. Younger siblings stimulated their older brothers
and sisters to be role models and perform well in school. Parents supplied moral support and
expressed pride in their children’s choices to seek higher education. These types of support were
necessary for students to be able to achieve their goals and overcome roadblocks.
The main challenge to college access for undocumented students is the timing of when
they hear about AB 540 and learn how to claim the benefits of AB 540. Out of the thirteen
student participants, five heard about AB 540 their senior year. Another five did not understand
AB 540 until after they enrolled in community college. The knowledge of AB 540 impacts a
student’s ability to make a financial plan, apply for scholarships, and enroll in classes. Some
students reported that they openly shared their residency status with their counselor or teachers
or stated that they did not have a Social Security number, but were not informed about AB 540
from high school staff. Teachers told two students they could not continue their education past
high school.
This behavior is similar to those reported in other studies – students that qualify for AB
540 have relied on college administrators that have learned about the law on their own (Perez
Huber, 2010; Perez Huber & Malagon, 2007), non-profit organizations (Abrego, 2006; Chavez et
al., 2007; Jenkins, 2009), current AB 540 students (Escobar, Lozano, & Inzunza, 2008; Perez
Huber, Huang, Jimenez, & Velez, 2007; S.I.N. Collective, 2007), and websites created by
students, activists, and legal organizations (DreamActivist.org, 2012; IDEAS at UCLA, 2012;
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, 2012; National Immigration Law
Center, 2013; Oliverez, 2010; United We Dream, 2012).
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Financial issues concern Latino AB 540 students more than any other matter. All of
undocumented Latino undocumented community college students interviewed were from low-
income families so financial issues were of primary concern. Most families are unable to assist
Latino AB 540 students much in paying their tuition and other educational expenses (Chavez et
al., 2007; Gonzales, 2008a). Most of the undocumented young students interviewed assist their
families financially or in running the household while their parents work. Like most
undocumented students, the majority of the students interviewed fund most of their own
educational expenses (Gonzales, 2010; Perez Huber, 2009; W. Perez & Cortes, 2011).
Being undocumented means that these students were unable to work legally (Abrego &
Gonzales, 2010; Gonzales, 2010). They held exhausting jobs in food service, childcare, and
manual labor while earning their degrees (Gleeson & Gonzales, 2012; W. Perez, 2012). They
faced additional difficulties due to their residency status including issues with travel (Abrego &
Gonzales, 2010; Gonzales, 2010), fear of deportation (Garcia & Tierney, 2011; Gonzales et al.,
2013; Martinez-Calderon, 2010; W. Perez, 2012), and anti-immigrant hostility (Massey &
Sanchez, 2010; Velez et al., 2008). They were able to forge ahead due to the support of caring
family, friends, and peers as well as helpful officials at their community colleges known as
institutional agents.
Support for AB 540 Students by Institutional Agents
The responses to the second research question explained the ways institutional agents at
the college level facilitate access to college and on-going support for undocumented Latino
students. There are two findings in response to research question two. First, in this study, the
institutional agents featured primarily served in the area of direct support as resource agents,
knowledge agents, and advocates. Second, they provided assistance as cultural guides.
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The first finding is that institutional agents primarily served in direct support as resource
agents, knowledge agents, and advocates. Robert Briones provides direct support to AB 540
students including listening to students and helping them find resources. He gathers books from
faculty members so that students can borrow books for semester in order to save money. He
provides knowledge on scholarships and leadership opportunities as well as academic
information on transferring. Robert continues to learn about new laws and policies and has
become the primary advocate for AB 540 students at Firebaugh College. Once students leave
Firebaugh, he continues to offer “his students” support and guidance by helping them with
transfer advice, connecting them with professionals at universities where they transfer, providing
career guidance, continuing to share scholarship information, and serving as a general confident.
Patrick Astorga also provides direct resources mainly in the form of knowledge. He
shares scholarship information as well as knowledge about injustices facing undocumented
students locally and nationwide. When Patrick heard that undocumented students from the
community were being told that they could not attend college, he advocated on their behalf. By
definition, an advocate “promotes and protects the interests of “their” students” (Stanton-Salazar,
2011, p. 1082). Patrick sees the students living in the community has “his” students, not just
students at Chavez College.
The second finding reveals the qualities of cultural guide. A cultural guide, “guides
students, through new social situations in a particular cultural sphere and teaches students to
identify and interact with key people in a cultural sphere” (Stanton-Salazar, 2011, p. 1082). Both
Robert Briones and Patrick Astorga demonstrated these qualities. Robert Briones trained students
on public speaking and telling their stories in meaningful ways in order to train faculty and staff
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members about AB 540. Students are placed in a formal setting during these sessions and acquire
skills on how to deliver a professional presentation.
Patrick Astorga provides students with the history of southern California and helps
Mexican undocumented students see that the land that they are standing on was once Mexico.
This type of understanding gives undocumented students from Mexico the confidence of
knowing that their ancestors once occupied the land that they are now being of accused of living
on “illegally.” Students are able to combat anti-immigrant remarks and reinforce their responses
to negative comments with indisputable history.
Empowerment Agents
The research questions asked directly about institutional agents and other types of
support. Empowerment agents provide low status youth with high valued institutional resources
as well as empower youth with a critical consciousness with the means to transform themselves,
their communities, and society as a whole (Stanton-Salazar, 2011, p. 1069). The concept of
empowerment agents was introduced after the interviews had already started for this current
project. For this reason, the tenets of empowerment agents were not incorporated into the
interview protocols. This is a limitation of this research project. The comments in this paragraph
are included because the implications for practice and recommendations for further research
about empowerment agents are needed to better understand the ways in which empowerment
agents manifest on college campuses. The theoretical concept of empowerment agents is new to
the literature on institutional agents and requires more empirical evidence.
Implications for Practice
The six implications for practice that follow are directly related to the six findings above.
First, family members and peers can assist undocumented Latino students in learning about AB
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540. The first finding indicates students were supported by family members. Parent workshops
about college-going should include information about AB 540 and scholarships. If parents are
more versed about AB 540, they might feel more comfortable discussing it with school officials.
Peers can also be of great assistance. Counseling staff members are overwhelmed especially
during the time in which federal financial aid is due. Peer assistants can help students search for
scholarships and find information about college-going. Some students that understand AB 540
can explain tuition equity to their peers. During orientation and college recruitment, peer
assistants might seem more approachable to undocumented students coming directly from high
school. Peer assistants who are also AB 540 can speak to newer students and offer helpful advice
on funding and living as an AB 540 student in addition to assisting new students in completing
AB 540 forms.
As the timing for receiving information was important for students, information about
AB 540 should be more transparent while in high school. Students do not need to be identified as
undocumented in order to receive information about AB 540. During high school, students
should hear about all college options including AB 540 before their junior year of college.
Among the students studied, only three of the students knew about AB 540 before their senior
year. Each was able to secure funding through scholarships and making financial plans. They
were not as overwhelmed as their peers who found out about AB 540 during their senior year or
after they enrolled in community college. The qualification for AB 540 can be presented along
with information about college applications, financial aid, and scholarships. When information
about AB 540 is put into the hands of all students, students might share information among
themselves. AB 540 is not just for undocumented students. An easy way to help students
understand tuition equity is to simply state that students qualify for AB 540 if they have attended
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a California high school for at least three years and graduated or received a G.E.D. They can then
add that students qualify for tuition equity with or without a Social Security number.
Third, the financial challenge for students was a major concern. Teaching students about
scholarships and creative financing can alleviate financial worries. Financial aid workshops
should include alternative financing. This information could be shared in a separate workshop
due to the detail needed to complete FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
Searching for scholarships takes time. Scholarship workshops can be open all students which
would not force AB 540 students to reveal their residency status.
Both Robert Briones and Patrick Astorga are seen as the main resource agents,
knowledge agents, and advocates. These roles should be spread out to multiple faculty and staff
members. Both of these individuals utilize practices that help motivate their colleagues into
taking on some of these roles. These activities could be implemented on other college campuses.
Robert has a training session that he helps coordinate on AB 540 students. Faculty and staff
members at Firebaugh feel more knowledgeable about undocumented students after participating
in the workshops and implement change in their own department. For instance Dan Huerta, the
director of financial aid, has made it a point to make sure that his staff members are aware of
new policies related to financial aid and undocumented students. He also attends the Nuestras
Voces meetings to notify students about scholarship opportunities.
At Chavez College, the Latino Faculty and Staff Association is a place where more
cultural guides are be trained. All of the faculty and staff members interviewed mentioned that
they learn the latest information about undocumented students when the attend these meetings.
The meetings seem well organized because two faculty members were unable to attend during
the term they were interviewed due to the time of the meetings. They still felt well-informed
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because they received the minutes of the meeting. They also knew that they could contact Patrick
to get clarification on any information they may have missed.
If staff and faculty members are more knowledgeable about AB 540, the local “experts”
will be less overwhelmed. AB 540 students are not just Robert’s or Patrick’s students, they are
students enrolled at each of their colleges which makes all of the faculty and staff members
responsible for trying to meet their students’ needs.
A practitioner or faculty member can use the concepts of being a cultural guide to place
students in new cultural spheres. Having students take part in college committees or training, like
the training sessions conducted by Robert Briones and Nuestras Voces places students in settings
with key individuals. Students can make an impact by getting to know the “culture” of a
professional business meeting as well as interact with campus administrators and high-ranking
faculty members.
The focus of Stanton-Salazar’s (2011) introduction to empowerment agents included the
ways in which empowerment agents worked with students to “alter their destinies… empower
them with institutional support, [and] enable their lasting empowerment via a critical
consciousness and the means by which they can transform themselves, their communities, and
society as a whole.” It is important for youth to be transformed and acquire critical consciousness
because they will be able to “decode the system” in order to make a continued difference in their
communities. It is equally important that the work of institutional and empowerment agents
become embedded into the fabric of an institution’s culture. Overall, empowerment agents are
institutional agents who have the capacity to deliver long lasting, sustainable change. An
institution can focus on creating empowerment agents through training programs in order to
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make “meaningful social change ” (Stanton-Salazar, 2011, p. 1094). Empowerment agents can
train undocumented youth to:
Not only successfully reach key developmental goals and “overcome the odds,”
they also learn to collaborate with others, to exercise interpersonal influence, to
act politically, to confront and contest oppressive institutional practices, to make
tough decisions and work to solve community problems, to organize and perform
complex organizational tasks, and to assume democratic leadership. (Stanton-
Salazar, 2011, p. 1094)
A training program would accomplish several goals. First, undocumented community college
students would gain valuable skills in community problem solving and civic engagement.
Second, once students leave the community college, these skills are transferable to leadership
positions as university students and within their careers.
Future Research
Recommendations in each of the six areas are included in this section. Much of the
research on AB 540 students consists of the challenges undocumented students face each day.
Students in this study reported peers and family members supported them. More research is
needed about the support mechanisms for AB 540 students. It would be interesting to hear details
about stories of AB 540 students that received this type of assistance. Life histories that include
interviews within a student’s social network could illustrate the ways in which undocumented
students connect with others to share triumphs and overcome challenges.
The majority of the students interviewed for this study learned about AB 540 during their
senior year or after they enrolled in community college. AB 540 was passed in 2001 and came
into effect in 2002. That was over ten years ago. What is preventing students from hearing about
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tuition equity? Interviews or surveys directed at high school and college educators about what
they know about AB 540 and undocumented college students. As well as, students who attended
college and paid non-resident fees because they were not aware of AB 540 might shed light on
this topic.
Financial constraints overshadow all difficulties for undocumented college students. The
struggles of students who have difficulty obtaining scholarships, have attended college part-time,
and drop out occasionally primarily due to finances need more empirical evidence. Researchers
also need to complete more studies on college-age youth who qualify for AB 540, work full time,
and do not attend college.
The activities of resource agents, knowledge agents, advocates and other forms of direct
support can be more easily documented using quantitative tools than data on integrative support,
system developers, and system linkages and support. A survey to faculty members, staff
members, and students could be distributed to identify patterns of support for AB 540 students
and areas that could use improvement. A survey would allow large amounts of data to be
gathered on the effective means of serving AB 540 students directly. Much of the work on
institutional agents is qualitative. Qualitative data are rich in detail. Another form of data
collection, such as survey data, could enlighten the theoretical model of institutional agents used
in this study from (Stanton-Salazar, 2011, p. 1082).
In order to assess the effectiveness of a cultural guide who works with AB 540 students, a
study could examine the ways in which AB 540 students have transformed the institutional
agents with whom they have worked. Explicit in the definition of a cultural guide, is that a
cultural guide “teaches students to identify and interact with key people in a cultural sphere ”
(Stanton-Salazar, 2011, p. 1082). A study on the benefits of being a cultural guide could help
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 171

assess the long-term effects of assisting students to identify key individuals and partake in civic
engagement activities. Gonzales, C. Suarez-Orozco, and Dedios-Sanguineti (2013) found that,
“civic work often turned into a virtuous circle where, by helping others, [college students] found
a sense of purpose and a role that served to augment their own well-being” (p. 1190). The
concept of a “virtuous circle” about the benefit to faculty and staff members assisting students
would contribute to the literature on higher education regarding practitioners.
Being a cultural guide can include sensitivity to gender as well as race and ethnicity. The
differences between the help-seeking behaviors of females compared to males were not explored
in this study. A study noting the detailed processes used by undocumented youth to seek
understanding of college going might illuminate some differences along gender lines. Do
undocumented girls and women search for information differently than their male counterparts?
Do they consult with more with female educators? Do undocumented boys and men consult male
educators more than female educators? If differences are found between the help-seeking
behaviors of college-bound undocumented Latinas and Latinos, approaches to students by
cultural guides that are privy to gender differences could be developed.
One of the recommendations for practice was to develop a program for empowerment
agents to train undocumented youth on civic and democratic engagement. If a training program
were to occur, research on the outcomes including evaluating the program would be important to
assess. Interviews or surveys with participants immediate following a training session and a year
or two after participation in a training program could demonstrate the effectiveness of such a
program.
After conducting interviews with students, faculty, and staff members at Firebaugh and
Chavez Colleges, there was evidence that if Robert Briones or Patrick Astorga were to leave
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 172

their respective institutions, they would leave a legacy for other staff or faculty member to
continue their work with AB 540 students. At Firebaugh, the training sessions on AB 540 student
issues will probably continue. At Chavez, the Latino Faculty and Staff Association will probably
be the place where similar discussions will continue. Both of these individuals have also been
grooming at least one of their colleagues to assist with dispersing information. Robert Briones
has been incorporating Michael Paul Probasco more and more into his work with AB 540
students. Patrick Astorga works closely with Juan Carlos Orozco, a part-time history professor.
These tactics are typical of grassroots organizing. An interesting study would be to examine the
tenets of empowerment agents from a political-organizing perspective. Stanton Salazar (2011)
does include references to theories used in social justice. He also states that disenfranchised
youth live in “sociopolitical and often oppressive world” (Stanton-Salazar, 2011, p. 1094).
Working with historically oppressed youth is always a political project.
Conclusion
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between undocumented
Latino AB 540 community college students and the faculty and staff members who work with
them daily at two community colleges in Riverside and San Bernardino counties located in
southern California. AB 540 is a law that grants tuition equity to students who have attended a
California high school for three years and graduated or received a G.E.D. to pay in-state tuition.
Undocumented students who meet these requirements must also sign an affidavit that they will
seek permanent residency immediately once they are able to do so.
Students, faculty members, and staff members were interviewed during the 2011-2012
academic year. A total of twenty-four interviews were collected consisting of thirteen students
and ten faculty and staff members. The roles of institutional agents as defined by Stanton-Salazar
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 173

(2011) were used to categorize the data in order to gain a better understanding of ways in which
faculty and staff members act as institutional agents when working with AB 540 students. An
institutional agent is an individual who occupies one or more hierarchical positions of relatively
high-status and authority. Such an individual, situated in an adolescent’s social network,
manifests his or her potential role as an institutional agent, when, on behalf of the adolescent, he
or she acts to directly transmit, or negotiate the transmission of, highly valued resources (e.g.,
high school course requirements for admission to 4-year universities) (Stanton-Salazar, 2011, p.
1067). Students were also queried about the support systems they utilize and challenges they face
as undocumented community college students.
A growing body of literature on institutional agents has been accumulating for
approximately twenty years. More recently, the concept has been applied to those who work in
higher education with students who are marginalized in society. Latino AB 540 community
colleges students were selected as the unit of analysis due to their sparse appearance in the
literature as well as the complex challenges that they face due to their residency status and often
low-income status. The restrictions these students face, including being barred from seeking
federal financial aid and most scholarships, heightens the need for faculty and staff members to
be sensitive to their situations.
Students listed financial concerns as their greatest barrier. They also shared the
difficulties they had in learning about AB 540 during high school. Only three students
understood AB 540 before they began their senior year. Five students had this law explained to
them during their senior year and the other five heard that they could pay in-state tuition rates
once they walked on to their community college to enroll in courses. AB 540 became law in
2001 and undocumented students were granted tuition equity in 2002. Most students interviewed
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 174

did not hear about this law through high school staff members. High school staff members told
two students that they could not continue their education past high school. With help from three
high school counselors and eight community college professionals, and two friends or family
members, these students learned about AB 540 and enrolled in Firebaugh and Chavez Colleges.
A significant finding was the tardiness that students experienced in understanding AB 540
limited their ability to apply for scholarships or make financial plans. Several students enrolled
part-time because they did not know how they were going to finance their education.
An institutional agent at each college was identified as the local “expert” on AB 540
students on their campus. These individuals worked very differently on each of their campuses
based on each campus’ culture. At Firebaugh College, counselor and professor Robert Briones
conducts outreach to local high schools, advises the college’s AB 540 club, and offers training
sessions on AB 540 student issues in conjunction with students from the club. All of the staff and
faculty members interviewed had attended a training session. At Chavez College, institutional
agent history professor Patrick Astorga, utilizes a different approach. He has gone to local high
schools to notify counselors, teachers, and administrators when students he met in the
community informed him that they were told that they could not go to college. Professor Astorga
is the advisor to MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan), an organization for
Chicano students. Several undocumented students participate in this group including four out of
the seven students interviewed for this study. Through MEChA, he advises students on the issues
that undocumented students face daily and encourages native born and undocumented students to
become allies in order to address issues like the deportation of two of their fellow students as a
united front. Faculty and staff members do not receive training to work with AB 540 students at
Chavez College. However, he is a leader in the Chavez College Chicano Latino Faculty Staff
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 175

Association. He and his colleagues involved with this group share information about AB 540
students including updates in laws and policies, issues on campus, as well as scholarship
opportunities for undocumented students. Professor Astorga believes that many faculty and staff
members outside this group on his campus would not be able to explain the AB 540 if asked.
The undocumented students interviewed are similar to ones found across the country.
They arrived in the United States with their families from the ages of 2 months to 15 years old.
All of the students in this study happened to be Mexican nationals, but few have memories of
Mexico and call the United States home. These students were educated in the United States and
would like to pursue a variety of careers including engineering, medicine, and communications.
For now, they are able to continue education with the hope that they will be able to utilize their
degrees once they graduate and become productive members of society.
Epilogue
The laws and policies that affect undocumented college students in California and
nationwide are in flux. Immigration policies are subject to federal laws so seventeen states,
including California, currently have tuition equity laws. Each law varies according to the state in
which it was passed. California recently passed two additional laws AB 130 (Student Financial
Aid: Eligibility: California Dream Act of 2011, 2011) and AB 131 (Student Financial Aid, 2011)
which became operative in January 2012 and January 2013, respectively. AB 130 allows
undocumented college students to apply for scholarships at state institutions. AB 131 gives
undocumented students the opportunity to apply for California state financial aid. Aid may be
granted after all aid has been dispersed to eligible Californians. Undocumented individuals will
also be able to apply for driver’s licenses soon under AB 60 (Driver's licenses: Eligibility:
required documentation., 2013). This bill was signed into law by California Governor Jerry
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 176

Brown on October 3, 2013 and will be implemented over a year from this writing in January 1,
2015.
At the federal level, on June 15, 2012 Janet Napolitano, then United States Secretary of
Homeland Security issued a memo to the Department of Homeland Security to exercise
discretion and grant work permits to individuals under the age of 31 who were brought to the
United States before the age of 16, have continuously lived in the United States, and have not
been convicted of a felony, a significant misdemeanor offense, or multiple misdemeanor
offenses. This policy is called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Immigration
and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began issuing work permits in August 2012. Deportation
deferments and work permits are to last for two years and are renewable (Napolitano, 2012). A
large scale research project is underway on individuals who have successfully received DACA
benefits (Gonzales et al., 2013; Gonzales & Terriquez, 2013). Also, comprehensive immigration
reform is a current topic being debated on the floors of the United States Senate and Congress as
of this writing, there have been no changes to existing immigration laws.
This findings from this study can help educators in approaching undocumented students
interested in attending college and current college students in California and other states with
tuition equity laws. If comprehensive immigration reform does occur in the near future, the
tenets of new immigration laws will dictate the ways in which undocumented youth who arrived
in the United States as minors then educated in United States schools will treated in schools and
colleges. If reforms increase opportunities for undocumented youth to pursue college and
become working professionals, the lessons learned from states with tuition equity laws like
California will assist policy makers nationwide. The troubling aspect as reported by the student
participants in this study is that there still exists a lack of information and misinformation on AB
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 177

540, a law that was passed in California in 2001 and implemented in January 2002, which is
approximately twelve years ago. Hopefully, if comprehensive immigration reform occurs at the
federal level, students, parents, and educators will become informed of the laws so
undocumented students who desire higher education will have the information they need to
pursue their dreams.

AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 178

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Passel, J. S., & Cohn, D. V. (2009). A portrait of unauthorized immigrants in the United States.
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Pastor, M., & Marcelli, E. A. (2013). What's at stake for the state: Undocumented Californians,
immigration reform, and our future together. Los Angeles, CA: University of Southern
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AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 189

Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks,
CA: Sage.
Perez Huber, L. (2009). Challenging racist nativist framing: Acknowledging the community
cultural wealth of undocumented Chicana college students to reframe the immigration
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Perez Huber, L. (2010). Suenos indocumentados: Using LatCrit to explore the testimonios of
undocumented and U.S. born Chicana college students on discourses of racist nativism in
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Perez Huber, L., Huang, Y., Jimenez, R., & Velez, V. N. (2007). “We are here”: (Im)migrant
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Perez Huber, L., & Malagon, M. C. (2007). Silenced struggles: The experiences of Latina and
Latino undocumented college students in California. Nevada Law Journal, 7(3), 841-861.
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Undocumented AB 540 students in the Latina/o Education pipeline CSRC Research
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AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 190

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Perez, W., & Cortes, R. D. (2011). Undocumented Latino college students: Their socioemotional
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AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 194

APPENDICES
APPENDIX A
Roles of Institutional Agents

AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 195

Roles of Institutional Agents
An institutional agent is an individual who occupies one or more hierarchical positions of
relatively high-status and authority. Such an individual, situated in an adolescent’s social
network, manifests his or her potential role as an institutional agent, when, on behalf of the
adolescent, he or she acts to directly transmit, or negotiate the transmission of, highly valued
resources (e.g., high school course requirements for admission to 4-year universities) (Stanton-
Salazar, 2011, p. 1067). Institutional agents assist students by offering direct and integrative
support, developing systems, as well as providing system linkages and networking support
(Stanton-Salazar, 2011).

Institutional Agents who Provide Direct Support
Direct support to students is provided through multiple roles: by providing personal and
institutional resources (resource agent), doing academic advising and conveying knowledge
about the educational system (knowledge agent and advisor),( advocate) direct support to
students is provided through multiple roles: by providing personal and institutional resources
(resource agent), doing academic advising and conveying knowledge about the educational
Direct
Support
Resource Agent
•provides personal and
positional resources to
students
Knowledge Agent
•knows the “system”
•accesses or provides
knowledge pertinent to
navigating the system
Advisor
•helps students gather
information
•assesses problems and
possible solutions in a
collaborative manner
•promotes & guides effective
decision making
Advocate
•promotes and protects the
interest of “their” students
Networking Coach
•teaches students how to
network with key
institutional agents
•models appropriate
networking behavior
•develops relationships with
important and influential
people
Integrative
Support
Integrative Agent
•coordinates students’
integration and participation
in networks and professional
venues (professional
associations, department,
school, etc)
Cultural Guide
•helps students gather
information
•assesses problems and
possible solutions in a
collaborative manner
•promotes & guides effective
decision making
System
Developer
Program Developer
•develops programs that
embeds students in a system
of agents, resources, and
opportunities
Lobbyist
•lobbies for organizational
resources to be directed
toward recruiting and
supporting students
Political Advocate
•joins political action group
that advocates for social
policies and institutional
resources that would benefit
targeted groups of students
System Linkage
& Networking
Support
Recruiter
•actively recruits students into
program, department, etc.
Bridging Agent
•introduces students to
institutional agents
•Has a strong social network
•Knows what key players do
Institutional Broker
•introduces students to
institutional agents
•knows what resources are
available and who controls
or possesses them
Coordinator
•assesses student’s needs
•Identifies resources to
address needs
•provides or accesses
institutional resources on
behalf of students
•ensures student utilizes
resources
Institutional
Agent
Stanton-Salazar (2011, p. 1081)
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 196

system (knowledge agent and advisor), advocating on behalf of students’ needs (advocate), and
helping students learn to network (networking coach). When enacting the direct support role
types, the institutional agent acts in ways similar to that of a mentor or academic advisor acting
on behalf of students’ needs (advocate), and helping students learn to network (networking
coach). (Bensimon et al., in press, p. 15)

Resource Agent: Staff or faculty member that provides personal and positional resources to
students. This can include understanding policies and procedures as well as physical resources
such as books.

Knowledge Agent: Staff member or faculty member that conveys knowledge about the
educational system including navigating the community college terrain. This includes explaining
policies, and procedures.

Advisor: Advisors offer direct support with personal and academic issues or problems, listen to
students and assist them in constructing solutions. Staff or faculty members with professional
counseling training sometimes counsel students in a therapeutic capacity by providing on-going
therapy or interventions to assist students in finding appropriate mental health treatment.

Networking coach: Staff or faculty member who helps students learn to network with key agents
by modeling appropriate networking behaviors and developing relationships with influential
people and connecting students with these individuals.

Institutional Agents who Provide Integrative Support
Integrative Support Agent: This type of institutional agent integrates students into their
professional networks and associations where students are exposed to knowledge funds and
career opportunities not readily available without these connections. An “integrative agent” is
aware of the empowering socialization experiences derived from participating in high-status
networks and these associations are key sites where networking, help seeking, and reciprocal
exchanges of institutional support are the norm, and where “bridging” and “brokering” are
typical organizational activities as are network development and cultural exposure. An
“integrative agent” also fulfills the role of institutional agent when incorporating students into
their very own professional network. (Based on Bensimon et al., in press, p. 1100)

Integrative Agent: An integrative agent coordinates students’ integration and participation in
networks and professional venues (professional associations, departments, schools, etc.) in order
to enable students to expand their own supportive and professional networks. They teach
students to identify and build networking relationships with other institutional agents at their
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 197

institution, as well as community leaders that can serve as mentors, influence state and federal
policies, and provide volunteer opportunities so students can perform community service and
learn job skills.

Cultural Guide: A cultural guide is a staff or faculty member that prioritizes building significant
relationships with racialized students as well as their colleagues and members outside the
institution that can assist students in succeeding personally and academically. These institutional
agents are often the first person students and staff and faculty members on a campus seek out
when an issue arises or there is a question about policies that impact or might impact a target
group of students. A cultural guide constantly engages in learning and disseminating information
about state-wide and national policies and laws via written and verbal communication. These are
individuals that prioritize building personal relationships with low status students. They also
make a concerted effort to grow the network of supportive staff and faculty members that
targeted students can rely on for assistance.

Institutional Agents who are System Developers
System developers are institutional agents who develop programs that will embed students –
some of whom the individuals will never meet – in a system of agents, resources, and
opportunities (Bensimon et al., in press, p. 16)

Program Developer: An institutional agent who builds a system of success for targeted students
by developing programs that will embed students – some of whom the individual will never meet
– in a system of agents, resources and opportunities.

Lobbyist: An institutional agent who builds ties with members of organizations at their
institution and others as well as within the community, developing programs, lobbying resources
and funding, influencing policies at the state and college level—all with the goal of increasing
access to college for underrepresented students and building a viable organizational support
system for students’ long-term success once they are enrolled.

Political Advocate: A political advocate joins political action groups that advocate for social
policies and institutional resources that benefit targeted students. Political advocates are involved
in institutional or state-wide policy-making groups or grassroots organizations that actively
engage in changing state and national laws and educating others about issues that affect
underrepresented students.
Institutional Agents that Develop System Linkages and Networking Support
Institutional agents who act at a systems and structural level tend to articulate an explicit agenda
to use resources and support structures within their areas of authority to increase the educational
opportunities of racialized students. (Bensimon et al., in press, p. 16)
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 198

Recruiter: This institutional agent actively recruits targeted students into programs, departments,
and enrichment opportunities, etc. He or she also takes steps to collaborate with high schools and
community colleges to ensure that underrepresented students that qualify are knowledgeable
about opportunities prior to arriving on campus and included in campus programs once they
matriculate.

Bridging agent: A staff or faculty member that has a strong social network and connects students
with other institutional agents at their campus. A bridging agent often follows up with both
parties to insure that a relationship has been solidified.

Institutional Broker: An institutional broker introduces two parties and negotiates systematic
agreements that solidifies relationships from different institutions including working with high
school personnel to improve matriculating efforts. They also assist in developing communication
between transfer students with university officials to assist in easing the transition to
baccalaureate-granting institutions. An institutional broker helps embed students in a university’s
social network as well as academic enrichment programs.

Coordinator: Administrator or faculty member that assesses student needs and assists students in
identifying resources or provides resources to underrepresented students. Coordinators follow-up
with students to ensure that students utilize resources offered.

AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 199

APPENDIX B
Website Protocol for Site Selection

AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 200

Website Protocol

• Campus website’s main page
• Campus Name, Address, Main Phone number
• Name, Title, Contact information
o President
o Director of Intuitional Research
o Director of Admissions
o Director Financial Aid
o Director(s) of First-Year Programs, Honor’s Programs, Programs for Minority
Students, Programs for Low-Income students
• Demographics
o Students by ethnicity and income
o Staff by ethnicity
o Faculty by ethnicity
• AB 540 organization’s website (if available)
o Contact information of advisor

AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 201

APPENDIX C
Interview Protocol for Students

AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 202

Interview Protocol for Students

Structural-Informational

• Describe your high school academic experience.
• Describe the ways your teachers helped you with your goal to go to college?
• Describe the ways your high school counselor helped you with your goal to go to college?
• Did you take an honors or AP courses? Which courses?
• Were you involved with GATE? AVID? Other academic programs? An academic career
academy?
• What was your GPA/class rank? Did you receive any academic awards?
• What extracurricular experiences were you involved in?
• Leadership activities?
• Community service?
• What does AB 540 mean to you?
• At what point did you understand AB 540?
• How did you learn about AB 540?
• What information did you learn about scholarships?
• What did you need to do to obtain AB 540 status?
• Which offices did you have to go to?
• Did you find all the answers you needed right away?
• Was there any information you know now about AB 540 that would have been helpful to
you before you started this process?
• Which offices were the most helpful?
• Did you experience any difficulties? Please describe the issues you experienced.
• Is there a faculty member or staff member that you would consider a mentor?
• Tell me about this person.
• What is most memorable experience you can share when this person helped or supported
you?
• Others

Structural-Cultural

• What is your age? When did you come to the United States?
• What is your country of origin? What are your memories of this country?
• Do you speak Spanish at home? School? With whom do you communicate in Spanish?
• How did you find out about being an undocumented student?
• Do you remember coming to the United States? Will you tell me about this?
• What experiences have you had with students that are citizens or legal residents?

Relational-Informational

AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 203

• At what point did you decide that you wanted to go to college?
• In what ways did others influence your decision?
• Family members?
• Counselors?
• Other mentors?
• Friends?
• AB 540 students are not eligible for state or federal financial aid. How has this affected
you?
• What other limitations do you face as an AB 540 student?
• Describe a difficult situation related to being undocumented since you have been enrolled
at X-COLLEGE?
• Did you seek the advice of a faculty member or administrator?
• What expectations did you have of X-COLLEGE before you started college?
• In what ways have these expectations been met? fallen short?
• How do you go about meeting faculty members and administrators?
• Describe your experiences with administrators on campus.
• Financial aid?
• Counseling?
• Transfer Center?
• Others?
• Describe your experiences with faculty members on campus.
• Do you plan on transferring to a university?
• What information have you learned about what classes to take or other transfer
information?
• What universities will you apply to?
• Have you visited these schools?
• What specific steps are you taking to stay on track for transferring?
• How do you know what classes to take?
• How often do you see your counselor?
• Are you involved with any first-year programs? Honors programs? Others?
• Do you utilize the transfer center?
• Where and when do you study?

Relational-Cultural

Did you have any mentors or role models in high school?
• If so, tell me a story or a significant experience you had with your role model?
• If not, were there any teachers, counselors, community members that assisted you?
• Who are your current mentors and role models? In what ways do they assist you?
• Tell me about your friends.
• In what ways do your friends support you? Hinder you?
• Share your most positive experience since you have been a student at X-COLLEGE.
• Do you participate in an AB 540 Club?
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 204

• What is your role in the club?
• In what ways has participating in this club assisted you meeting new friends?
• What social experiences do you share with AB 540 Club members?
• Describe your experiences with other students outside of the AB 540 Club.
• What additional extracurricular activities have you been involved with as a college student?
• Are you involved with a community organization?
• Are you politically active?
• Do you volunteer in the community?
• Describe your family. How many brothers and sisters do you have?
• Do you live at home? What is life like for you at home?
• What are your parents’ occupations?
• Did you migrate with both of your parents?
• When you think about your family and your school obligations, what comes to mind?
• What obligations do you have outside of school?
• Describe your family commitments.
• Do you have a job?
• What do you do?
• How do you get to your job?
• How many hours do you work per week?
• Other commitments?
• Do you have contact with your family members in your country of origin?
• If so, how do you stay in touch?
• If not, what prevents you from connecting with your family?

Additional Questions or Concerns

• Do you have anything that you would like to share that I have not asked about?
• Do you have any additional questions for me?

Thank you for your participation. If you need to reach me, I have provided you with my
contact information.

AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 205

APPENDIX D
Interview Protocol for Staff and Faculty Members

AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 206

Interview Protocol for Staff and Faculty Members

Agreement of Consent

• Do you agree to participate in this interview?
• Do you understand that you may decline to respond to any question at any time?
• Do you understand that you may withdraw from participating in this interview or study at
any time?
• Did I provide you with a copy of the “Informed Consent Form” that includes my contact
information?

Structural-Informational

• What are the requirements for entering X-COLLEGE?
• Are the requirements different for AB 540 students?
• What does a student have to do become designated as AB 540?
• What paperwork do they need to supply?
• What identification do they need to share?
• Are there special forms that they must complete?
• Can they fill out all of the forms on-line?
• If not, which offices do they need to go to?
• What process does a student have to go through to receive scholarship or financial
monies?
• If an AB 540 student receives a scholarship, what process must they follow to receive
their funding?
• What does AB 540 mean to you?
• What do know about AB 540?
• How did you learn about AB 540?
• Are you required to attend specific training on AB 540?
• Is there voluntary training that you can attend? Have you attended these sessions? If not,
how do you obtain information about AB 540 students?
• What information can you share with AB 540 students about scholarships? AB 540
students are not eligible for state or federal financial aid. Does this change the
information you share with AB 540 students?
• Are you involved with academic advising?
• What resources do you share with students about academic programs? Transfer programs?
• What do you share with AB 540 students about academic programs? Transfer programs?

Structural-Cultural
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 207

• Have you developed any programs for low-income students? Minority students? First-
generation college students?
• In what ways can AB 540 students participate in these programs?
• Have you designed any programs specifically for AB 540 students?

Relational-Informational

• Do you mentor any AB 540 students?
• Describe an issue you assisted an AB 540 student resolve
• Describe a difficult situation you had to deal with in working with an AB 540 student?
• Did you seek the advice of another faculty member or administrator?
• Was the situation resolved?

Relational-Cultural

• Share your most positive experience with an AB 540 student since you began working at X-
COLLEGE.
• Was there ever a time that you could not assist an AB 540 student?
• Did you connect that student with another colleague?
• Was the student’s issue able to be resolved?
• Is there an AB 540 Club on your campus?
• Do you participate in any AB 540 Club events?
• Do you volunteer in the community?
• Are you involved with any community organizations?
• Are you politically active?
• Do you advocate for AB 540 students or the DREAM Act?

Additional Questions or Concerns

• Do you have anything that you would like to share that I have not asked about?
• Do you have any additional questions for me?

Thank you for your participation. If you need to reach me, I have provided you with my
contact information.

AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 208

APPENDIX E
Informed Consent Form for Student Participants

AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 209

Informed Consent for Students
Statement of Purpose
In this study I would like to learn about the process Latino AB 540 students follow to obtain AB
540 status. I would also like to understand the support mechanisms that assist AB 540 students in
obtaining their educational goals. I will interview faculty and staff members as well as students
from multiple community colleges.

Introduction of Interviewer: I am a graduate student at the University of Southern California. I
am working on my dissertation in order to earn my Ed.D. I have lived in Southern California
most of my life. I have worked with undergraduate students for almost twenty years primarily in
California. My study has been approved by my dissertation committee as well as USC’s
Institutional Research Bureau (Human Subjects).

Confidentiality, Right to Review Data, and Risks
In my scholarly work, I will use pseudonyms for the names of the institutions as well as any
participants including faculty members, staff members, and students. I will also remove any
identifiable information. My interviews will be recorded and converted to mp3 documents that
will be saved on my password-protected hard drive of which I have sole access. My list of
participants will not be disclosed to any person at the college or to USC. As a participant, you
will be able to read my completed data chapter prior to my submission to my dissertation
committee.

Duration of Participation and Benefits
This interview will take approximately one hour. Your participation is completely voluntary and
you will not receive any compensation. The benefit of completing this interview is for me to be
able to include your point of view on undocumented community college students in California in
my scholarly work. This will include primarily my dissertation work. I might also present my
findings at conferences or in other publications.
If you are uncomfortable with any question, you may decline to respond. If, at any time, you
wish to withdraw your participation from this interview or this study, you may do so.

Thank you,
Michelle Gonzales Bleza, M.S.
USC Doctoral Candidate
ab540research@gmail.com
951.225.5401

If you would like to read the data section of
my dissertation, please let me know at this
time or contact me before August 1, 2012
when I plan to submit my dissertation to
my committee.
AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 210

APPENDIX F
Informed Consent Form for Staff and Faculty Participants

AB 540 COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS 211

Informed Consent for Staff and Faculty Members
Statement of Purpose
In this study I would like to learn about the process Latino AB 540 students follow to obtain AB
540 status. I would also like to understand the support mechanisms that assist AB 540 students in
obtaining their educational goals. I will interview faculty and staff members as well as students
from multiple community colleges.

Introduction of Interviewer: I am a graduate student at the University of Southern California. I
am working on my dissertation in order to earn my Ed.D. I have lived in Southern California
most of my life. I have worked with undergraduate students for almost twenty years primarily in
California. My study has been approved by my dissertation committee as well as USC’s
Institutional Research Bureau (Human Subjects).

Confidentiality, Right to Review Data, and Risks
In my scholarly work, I will use pseudonyms for the names of the institutions as well as any
participants including faculty members, staff members, and students. I will also remove any
identifiable information. My interviews will be recorded and converted to mp3 documents that
will be saved on my password-protected hard drive of which I have sole access.

My list of participants will not be disclosed to any person at the college or to USC. As a
participant, you will be able to read my completed data chapter prior to my submission to my
dissertation committee.

Duration of Participation and Benefits
This interview will take approximately one hour. Your participation is completely voluntary and
you will not receive any compensation. The benefit of completing this interview is for me to be
able to include your point of view on undocumented community college students in California in
my scholarly work. This will include primarily my dissertation work. I might also present my
findings at conferences or in other publications.

If you are uncomfortable with any question, you may decline to respond. If, at any time, you
wish to withdraw your participation from this interview or this study, you may do so.

Thank you,

Michelle Gonzales Bleza, M.S.
USC Doctoral Candidate
ab540research@gmail.com
951.225.5401

If you would like to read the data section of
my dissertation, please let me know at this
time or contact me before August 1, 2012
when I plan to submit my dissertation to my
committee.

Abstract (if available)

Abstract This study applies the construct of institutional agents and the associated theories of social capital and social networking to understand the influence of institutional agents on Latino undocumented community college students who qualify for tuition equity in California under AB 540. The purpose of this study was to identify the issues these students face in their daily lives and their sources of challenge and support. Specific attention was placed on the roles of institutional agents in working with this population. In-depth interviews of thirteen Latino AB 540 community students and ten faculty and staff members from two community colleges were conducted. The following findings were of greatest importance. First, Latino AB 540 students look to peers, family, and community members as their main sources of support. Second, the timing in which eligible students became aware of the benefits of AB 540 (before senior year, during senior year, or after enrolling in community college) poses a risk to access to higher education. Third, financial obstacles are the most significant hurdle for undocumented students. Fourth, the institutional agents studied primarily served in the area of direct support as resource agents, knowledge agents, and advocates. Fifth, they also provided integrative support as cultural guides. This study contributes to the burgeoning literature on institutional agents and adds to the scant literature on the transition to college for undocumented students and on undocumented community college students in general

Linked assets

University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

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Asset Metadata

Creator Bleza, Michelle Gonzales (author)

Core Title AB 540 community college students in Southern California: making connections and realizing dreams

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Education (Leadership)

Publication Date 11/20/2013

Defense Date 10/17/2013

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag College students,community college students,immigration,institutional agents,Latino students,OAI-PMH Harvest,undocumented students

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Bensimon, Estela Mara (committee chair), Baca, Reynaldo R. (committee member), Oliverez, Paz Maya (committee member)

Creator Email michelle.bleza@gmail.com,michelle.bleza@ucr.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c3-348796

Unique identifier UC11295096

Identifier etd-BlezaMiche-2166.pdf (filename),usctheses-c3-348796 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-BlezaMiche-2166.pdf

Dmrecord 348796

Document Type Dissertation

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Bleza, Michelle Gonzales

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA