I think it is interesting that the authors decided to focus on the experiences of undocumented people's school experience. A lot of the times, they haven't finished high school, and when they do finish high school and decide to go to college it is way harder for them. Many of them do not have parents with experiences of going to school especially not in the United States. Therefore, they need to look for guidance somewhere else.
They explain that because a lot of them decide on not going to college, then they earn "meager" wages. I find this very true for anyone and especially undocumented people. It is definitely hard to have a stable life with a very unstable or low income. With undocumented people, a lot of the times they have family to look out for, so it is even harder for them. I think it was important for the authors to explain this idea.
Gonzalez and Vargas made very good points in this chapter because I think it is an issue going on everyday that affects the way that undocumented people live. I have an undocumented nephew who is currently in his senior year of high school. He has a minimum wage job and of course, can't pay everything he needs to pay with that job. Also, he has decided on not going to college because of the cost and because he thinks school isn't for him. He dislikes it very much that he was going to drop out of high school.
Like my nephew, many young people think that once you're out of school it is easy to make "good" money. They believe that school isn't going to do much for their benefit. However, that is not true. Not only are you being taught math, grammar, and science in school, but we are being taught discipline, determination, and perseverance. My nephew doesn't see that and has decided on not continuing with postsecondary education, and maybe one day he will think back and maybe even regret it.
This is a picture of undocumented students with a sign about wanting to go to college:
It is important to discuss why are these patterns being seen? Why are undocumented people less likely to go to college and if they do, less likely to graduate? What can we do to change this?
I agree with your standpoint in the blogpost, and enjoy the information you presented. I also think it’s interesting that the authors focused on undocumented students as opposed to the ones not so fortunate to attend school. It would have been nice to see a variety of undocumented people, in and out of school. I also like that you brought a personal connection into the post, sharing so that we can see a real life more in-depth perspective of being undocumented. I think that we’re already headed in the right direction with these issues because of the coming awareness of undocumented people and what we can do to help and support them.
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