DREAM Center Protects All CSUN Students’ Right to an Education 

By Analisa Venolia  

Getting through classes can be hard enough for most students, but for undocumented and mixed-status students, pressures are even higher, with immigration concerns on top of academic demands. 

The University Student Union aims to alleviate those concerns through the DREAM Center. DREAM stands for Dreamers, Resources, Empowerment, Advocacy and Mentorship. The resource center provides undocumented and mixed-status students, faculty, staff and alumni with essential programs and services, including legal assistance, mentoring, educational workshops, and scholarships. Through these resources, the DREAM Center empowers undocumented and mixed-status students to focus on their education and finish their degrees, in spite of barriers caused by their immigration status.  

Tony Torres, a senior psychology student, shared how the DREAM Center has impacted his life. 

“The DREAM Center helps me keep peace of mind,” said Torres. “It’s a safe place for me on campus. 

“They provide me with help that no one else can provide,” he continued. “I can talk to the staff about things that I can’t talk about with anyone else.” 

Manager of the DREAM Center, Irvin Rendon, said, “The DREAM Center is a space for folks who may be impacted by their immigration status to feel like they’re a part of the campus community. 

“Education is a right for everybody, regardless of immigration status,” he continued. “We want people to feel like they can just be a student, without worrying about their status.” 

Donations to the DREAM Center will go towards the Center’s scholarship funds and towards fellowships that will develop students’ leadership skills. The fellowships will give students valuable experience and skills that they are not able to develop through campus work due to a lack of work authorization. 

Donations have more than a monetary impact; they send a message. 

“Students who are undocumented might not feel like university is for them,” Rendon stated. “They might feel like people don’t know that they exist. Donations show that there are people who care and who are supportive of them getting their education.”  

Donations to the DREAM Center ensure we can continue to provide vital assistance to undocumented and mixed-status students, faculty, staff and alumni. 

CSUN’s annual Giving Day event on March 5-6 provides an opportunity to support the DREAM Center. Gifts can be made online through the Giving Day website once the campaign begins.