UCLA students, faculty and administrators

came together during the summer of 2003 and officially

established IDEAS at UCLA in October 2003. As a support network

for undocumented and AB-540 undocumented students at UCLA

and across diverse communities outside of UCLA, IDEAS members

collectively form camaraderie of people connected by shared

experiences, struggles, and successes.

 

volving from a support network to a

student organization and community outreach

project, IDEAS now guides high school and

community college students in their transition to institutions

of higher education. In the summer of 2004, IDEAS initiated

the AB540 project to bring awareness of the AB540 legislation

and to provide information on educational and financial

resources available to Los Angeles, Orangeand Riverside

Counties. This is accomplished through informational

workshops, student panels, counselor

conferences, and community events.

s an advocacy group IDEAS has consistently taken an active role at the local, state,

and national levels to campaign for equal access to higher education for all students, regardless

of their immigration status. In 2006 IDEAS joined the California DREAM Network, a state- and

nation-wide network of student based organizations aimed at creating and influencing public policy

affecting undocumented students.

 

n 2006, thanks to the support of private donors, community organizations such as our former fiscal receiver the Salvadoran

American Leadership and Educational Fund (SALEF), and the Office of Senator Gilbert Cedillo, the 1st Annual Making the Dream a

Reality Banquet established an ongoing scholarship for undocumented students at the university. IDEAS awarded a combined

38 scholarships to entering freshmen, transfer, and continuing undoumented students at UCLA.


he increasing number of undocumented college-bound students, whom are ineligible for any state

or federal financial aid—including need based, merit-based and university scholarships—makes it urgent

for IDEAS to sustain the IDEAS Making the Dream a Reality Scholarship. It is the sponsorship of

concerned individuals and organizations that allows IDEAS to continue encouraging, promoting,

and supporting the education of incoming and continuing

undocumented students at UCLA ider is not down. freddy is.

 
© IDEAS 2009