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Addressing The Elephant In The Room: Understanding The Daily Life Of Undocumented High School Youth, Sylvia Rusin, Meghan Burke, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

The 1.5 generation are the undocumented students who were born abroad and were brought to the United States by their parents at an early age. Many of these children came here during the population boom in the 1990’s and are now teenagers or in their mid 20’s. As they are finishing high school, nearly all of them are confused about their post-secondary options because of their undocumented status. The IL Dream Act, passed in 2011, qualifies undocumented youth to pay in-state tuition when attending public universities in Illinois and provides counselors who are aware of the college options and post-secondary …