Student newspaper of Illinois Institute of Technology since 1928

Undocumented students come out of ‘Shadows'

 

Utsav Gandhi
CAMPUS EDITOR

Part of an incredibly important
and attention-grabbing movement happen—
ing across Illinois and around the country left
its mark on the IIT campus this past week in
the midst of a busy Wednesday afternoon, as
students and staff gathered at the MTCC Wel-
come Center. Some students were wearing
black t-shirts and holding a banner; a crowd
was gathering and there was some strong me-
dia presence in the area too. This was the first
“Coming Out of the Shadows at IIT” event, as
the Undocumented Students and Allies (USA)
at IIT went on to share their stories of struggle
and persistence as they navigated their person-
al and academic lives amidst a culture that was
inherently unsupportive of them, in a space
where they felt constantly reminded to stay si—
lent about a part of their identity.

Daniel Garcia, a recent graduate
from the MMAE Department, was the first
to share his story. He referenced the found
ers of IIT and how they would have liked IIT
to have student representation from all back:
grounds. He spoke of the two years he spent
here in the shadows, fearful of revealing his
true identity, navigating unaffordable tuition
increases amidst commuting five hours daily
and surviving on $1 hot dogs. He also spoke
of his struggles post—graduation, wherein even
a prestigious engineering degree from a four-
year college as well as work and research ex-
perience at other institutions like Harvard has
not led to much professional advancement.

You can read about his story in greater detail at _

http://app.fwd.us/stories/394

Another student to share her story
was lst year BME major Egle Malinauskaite,
who spoke of her journey from Lithuania, via
Canada, into the US, and what the “old Ameri-
can dream” really means to her now; how she
was strongly patriotic for the star—Spangled
banner and the Pledge of Allegiance and would
like to claim her unalienable right to pursue
her dreams of becoming a volunteer, a leader, a
doctor. Does a lack of an SSN make her any less
of an American? She loves the same music, the
same movies, the same TV shows that anyone
else does—so she asks, why do we have these
borders? Education has been her solace, her
escape, her way of getting to where she wants
to be. As a Camras and Leadership Academy
scholar, as an undergraduate research partici-
pant, commuter and quite frankly one of the
most genuinely involved freshmen students
IIT has seen in recent times, Malinauskaite left
the audience with a sterling reminder of how
a steadfast vision and unswerving dedication
can get you across even the most insurmount'
able obstacles. You can read more about her
story at http:/ /app.fwd.us/stories/ 391.

Sunny Patel, 4th year Aerospace
Engineering student, originally from India
has moved across the United States since the
age of three. He credited much of his safety
and sanity to his parents, and how they kept
their children out of any uncomfortable situ-
ations. Today, Patel is grateful that his status
of “deferred action” allows him to stay actively
involved on campus. He is an employee of the
Office of Sustainability, board member of the
Indian Students Association and the President
of the Armour College of Engineering Student
Council, among other commitments. He said
that his immigration status is a major hurdle

 

 

 

towards his dream job of being able to take
others into space, as jobs within his field of
aerospace engineering require at least a per-
manent residency. You can read more about
his story at http://app.fwd.us/stories/392
Antonio Guttierez (http://www.iyjl.
org/antoniocomingout/), said, “One of the big-
gest challenges came 6 months after graduating
from IIT in 2012 with an Architecture degree. I
found myself in a nightmare. I had been work-
ing in an architecture firm for more than a year
with a great salary. I was living on my own in
one of the best neighborhoods for a young, gay

  

professional in the city,” when suddenly his life
changed because of his immigration status. To-
day, he is actively involved with the Immigrant
Youth Justice League, and hopes that IIT as an
institution can provide more support for indi-
viduals like him.

The stories shared were of high-im-
pact, brave, passionate, eye opening and called
out to be heard. One wishes that administra-
tion will take note and respond to their pleas
for institutional support.

National Coming Out of the Shad-
ows started in Chicago, Illinois on March 10,

technewsiit.com

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CAMPUS 3-4

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SLIPSTICK 7

 

2010 (iyjl.org/comingout) when undocument-
ed youth declared they were “undocumented
and unafraid” at Federal Plaza, opposite the
Immigration Services building. Around the
country, other undocumented youth did the
same, sometimes escalating to civil disobedi-
ence in support of immigrant rights. Support
them as they declare, “#weareIIT”, that they are
no longer in the shadows, and that they are no
longer afraid! Support their efforts by making
a donation at http://bitdo/supportusa. Also,
check out the website created especially for this
event at http://comingoutiit.splashthat.com/.

 

‘3? its“; 83 Photos by Jesus Garcia