Higher Education as a Mixed-Status Student
This workshop is for you if:
Are interested in attending/transfer into a four year university
Want to know how to access resources available to you in college
Are curious about how to become an ally for undocumented students in college
Workshop details:
In this presentation you will get the opportunity to engage with the Associate Direction of Student Leadership and Learning at USD as well as USD students. Through our presentation, students will be empowered to envision college as a possibility regardless of their status. This will be done through outlining existing resources such as our student support group, UndocuAlly networks and University of San Diego support system. Most importantly students will learn why it is important for us to continue doing the work that we do on and off campus.
Meet Jocelyn Olguin
Associate Director of Student Leadership and Learning, University of San Diego
Jocelyne (Jashy) Olguin grew up not only bilingual, but also bicultural. She was born in the United States but was raised in Mexico, with a binational upbringing in the borderlands of Sonora and Arizona. She commuted everyday from her hometown in Nogales, Sonora to attend school in Nogales, Arizona. In 2013 she moved to San Diego to attend the University of San Diego. During college, Jocelyne found her passion for social justice and her love for community engagement. In 2015, she became a student leader for the Beyond Borders team at the Mulvaney Center for Community, Awareness and Social Action, where she hoped to spread awareness about border issues. In May 2017, she graduated with a BA in Business Administration and a Minor in Political Science.
After college Jocelyn spent two years as an Americorps Volunteer with Bayside Community Center and Via International. In February of 2020, she joined the Mulvaney Center at USD full time as the Beyond Borders Program Coordinator. Her work focused on connecting students with community organizations that work to address border challenges and opportunities.
After two years in the role she is now expanding her support for student engagement as Assistant Director of Student Leadership and Learning where she will be supporting students as they grow in their leadership development. Jashy continues to live a transborder life and is happy to be a resource for those interested in engaging across the border. She oversees Mulvaney Center’s crossborder work and initiatives, including the MICAH Fellowship in Tijuana and the expansion of USD’s Tijuana Hub.
Meet Jessica Fernandez De La O
Undergraduate Student Coordinator, Toreros Dream, University of San Diego
Jessica Fernandez De La O was born in Chihuahua, Mexico but grew up in Summit County, a small town in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. At a young age she developed the ability to fluently communicate in both English and Spanish. Given the small Hispanic population in a predominantly white town, her bilingual abilities were first used in the classroom to help her teachers and peers communicate. This fostered Jessica's desire to become involved in community development and advocacy work. All throughout high school, Jessica was involved in several student and community groups that centered their work around the needs of DACA and Undocumented people. In 2020, she was awarded the Summit Foundations’ Youth Philanthropy Award for establishing her high school’s first multi-cultural group, alongside developing academic resources and working with the school district to revise policy to protect DACA and Undocumented students. In that same year she moved to San Diego to attend the University of San Diego. She is currently a third-year student who is pursuing a double-major in Environmental Studies and Ethnic Studies and a minor in Spanish. On-campus, she is the Undergraduate Student Coordinator for Toreros Dream. This position allows her to continue working with DACA and Undocumented students in various capacities. This includes hosting monthly meetings that strive to create a welcoming-space for DACA and Undocumented students, working with faculty and staff to advocate for their academic and personal needs and providing Undocu-Ally training to educate the campus community.
In her free time, Jessica enjoys spending time outside hiking, camping and reading at the beach. She loves going to concerts, tearing up the dance floor with her friends and treating herself to weekly sweet treats (typically ice cream or matcha).
Meet Alessandra Olmedo Robles
Undergraduate Student Coordinator, Toreros Dream, University of San Diego
Alessandra Olmedo Robles was born in Guatemala City, Guatemala, and moved to Beaverton, Oregon at the age of 6. Her parents enforced a policy of only speaking in Spanish at home which allowed her to fluently develop an understanding of the language as well as the understanding of what community meant in the Latino culture. The concept of "it takes a village" was implemented when her family had eight people paying rent in one place in order to make sure the three students were able to get the best education in the state. Having this opportunity showed her that not everyone did, thus sparked her need to make sure other people had equal access to resources, without the need to sacrifice a part of themselves. Before attending college, Alessandra was involved in extracurricular groups that focused on community service and providing educational resources to students in the school district, even if it meant she had to drive her own mom van. Throughout high school, she would focus on food insecurity and educational equity in nearby cities as well as across the state, while always keeping in mind the status of other students so everyone could partake. Her philosophy of life has been rooted in being able to provide for her community, whether it be in Oregon or San Diego. Now as a university senior, Alessandra has been able to work with people of various backgrounds through organizations like the Commuter Commons, ACha, MeCha, and Alpha Pi Sigma provide more resources for students on and off campus.
She's currently a senior at USD and will be majoring in Political Science and Ethnic Studies with a minor in Sociology while balancing the life of a young 20s Latina living in a beach city. When she's not behind a desk at work or class, she's behind a camera doing photoshoots. Through her camera, she's been able to volunteer at a range of events while meeting new people and being privileged to learn different stories by connecting with my community. Another way she's been able to stay connected with the world around her is by going through concerts at the local venues to support artists and be in space with people with similar tastes and encourage offkey singing. In the end, it's all about community and naming this world "home" :)
“Lo que es para ti, nadie te lo quita.”
“Find your community, it takes a village.”
“Hay que seguir existiendo.”
