The TDSC is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. p.m. in the Loker Student Union, Room 111. Photo by Angele Kamp.

By Edgar Ramirez Jr, Lifestyle Editor.

Last month, the Toro Dreamers Success Center (TDSC) at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) celebrated their fifth birthday. The center opened in 2017, and provides students with annual scholarships and mentorship, while also offering services to support their students’ academic and personal life.

“The mission of the Toro Dreamers Success Center (TDSC) is to advocate for equity and create accessible services, programs, and opportunities to support the holistic development of undocumented and mixed-status students,” said Arlin Gonzalez, advisor for the TDSC. 

The TDSC started with the Undocumented Student Ally Coalition (USAC), a program dedicated to helping undocumented students. In 2015, the USAC teamed up with “Espiritu de Nuestro,” an alliance that assisted undocumented students to achieve higher education, to create Undocumented Student Ally Training.

The Ally Training included staff and students sharing their experiences at CSUDH. The attendance of the event began pushing for a dedicated program that supports unconfirmed students. The USAC was tasked with creating the program and finding a full-time coordinator and staff, then, in 2017, the TDSC opened its doors to the students on campus. 

Today, the program still continues to advocate for undocumented students by hosting workshops to educate students about Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, an immigration policy allowing children to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation, and California’s DREAM Act. 

“Since I officially started about 4 years ago, I have had over 2,000 one-on-one appointments,” Gonzalez said.

She also said the CSUDH campus serves about 676 undocumented students. With their success, the center has been able to present its programs and work at many conferences. They have presented at the Association of College & Research Libraries 2021 Conference and the Keeping the Dreamers Alive 2020 conference. 

The TDSC has been collaborating with other programs on campus, such as the Career Center, Student Psychological Services, and the Office of Undergraduate Research to provide students with the tool to succeed academically. 

Karota Kamba, a student at CSUDH and the Leadership Fellow for the program, said she values having a community specifically for undocumented students as this makes her feel less alone.  She continues to say that they are a community for all students to build relationships and a safe environment. 

Even with COVID-19, the program still held events for all their students through virtual meetings to create inclusivity amongst each other. In Fall 2020, the TDSC held their very first Game Night as a way to bring the community closer together despite going through a pandemic.  

With five years already behind them, the TDSC wants to welcome not only students but parents and children back to campus, as well as to continue supporting our Toro community in person and virtually.