Preferred Action For Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

As a first generation undocumented college student there is great privilege and pride in attending the University of California, Santa Barbara. However with that there is also many obstacles and struggles that I have faced in order to survive and thrive in this institution, one of them is my need for financial aid. Coming from a low-income, single mother household I do not rely on my mother for financial support because I already know she struggles to feed my siblings and pay their bills. As a result I am sending my mother money on a monthly basis in order for her to complete rent for the month and afford groceries. Due to the fact that I am constantly sending my mother and household money in order to contribute to their survival, I have been working two part-time jobs while still being a full-time student in order to make my needs to be met as well. …show more content…
My DACA has to be renewed every two years in order to continue working and not have fear of being deported while I attend UCSB. It has already been two years since my last renewal meaning that my renewal is this upcoming December. Through this renewal process I have to pay around five hundred dollars in application fees and transportation fees because the nearest U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office is in Oxnard, where they have to take my biometrics as part of my application process. It is because of this that I am applying for the Community Financial Fund Grant because if I were to receive the maximum amount it would take a big financial burden off my shoulders but I would also be able to concentrate more on my studies instead of working myself tirelessly in order to afford my DACA renewal and still help my mother