By Juan Calvillo
The UndocuHuskies club was started last semester and since then has done everything possible to help undocumented students on the ELAC campus.
The UndocuHuskies club has 15 slots available for a free college tour and retreat for May 10-12 and the deadline to apply is March 15.
All the information on the application process can be found with the club vice president Judith Arguello at the Dream Resource Center on campus.
The East Los Angeles College club is taking a tour of the University of California Riverside friday May 10th and spending the weekend at Big Bear Lake.
Originally slated for a total of 15 slots, an additional 15 were added after the original spots were quickly filled.
The entire event is free mostly due to the help received by the Associated Student Union and fundraising making up the rest of the money.
This year the club has started off strong by announcing their first college tour of UCR as well as their first retreat.
Jose Pelaez, club president, said the trip was a coordination that was first started via social media.
The UndocuHuskies vice president and social media person, Arguello, made the connection that allowed for Pelaez to talk with UCR’s Undocumented Student Program coordinator Wendy Guzman.
Guzman put together a campus tour of UCR that includes tours spots like the engineering building as well as the recreational building.
Pelaez was happy to highlight the clubs first tour and retreat after their fall semester being a bit problematic.
Having trouble getting the word out for the club at the beginning made most of the fall semester hard for all the members of the UndocuHuskies.
“Last year was tough for us,” said Pelaez. “This is the cherry for the cake.” Announcing the UCR trip via social media and getting such a positive reaction was big for the club.
Doing something like a campus trip is big. He said that actually going would allow undocumented students the chance to see the options they have in terms of colleges.
Ana Oregel, a student going on the trip, hasn’t attended many college tours or trips.
The chance to check out a school that could be a viable option for her was exciting.
“I get to visit a college campus I haven’t visited yet or know much about and make it a future option to apply.” said Oregel.
“During the time we are at UCR I want to know how the college life is like there, whether they offer my major, civil engineering, and what activities or projects they have that deal with that major. Also I want to see how diverse UCR is,” he added.
Pelaez added that there was one student who has UCR already on their short list, and that having the student actually see the campus was great.
The focus for the first part of the weekend is specifically to show undocumented students and their allies the options they have for higher learning, but Pelaez said that was only the first step.
After Friday’s tour, the weekend would bring the club’s first retreat in Big Bear.
The club and its advisor want to help students understand how they can reach their scholastic goals.
To accomplish this, club advisor Reyna Hernandez will be going over some of the ways and means undocumented and students in general can apply for and receive financial aid.
Pelaez said the weekend would also include time for the members of the club to really get to know each other. He hopes to create a feeling of community within the club.
Pelaez wants the members to know that the club is there to play a supportive role in their lives.
With the event coming, the club is planning on doing some fundraising for their upcoming trip. The UndocuHuskies will be doing a raffle that includes Dodgers tickets, Disneyland tickets, and three two-packs of AMC theater tickets.
The cost of raffle tickets is $10 and can be purchased up until March 22 on their instagram, with the raffle taking place on March 25.
For more information students can visit the DRC and speak with Arguello, check their instagram @undocuhuskies or email the club at undocuhuskies@gmail.com.