San Diego City College Alan Lazcano finds the Undocumented Resource Center to be one of the most welcoming and helpful resources he has turned to on campus.
“I’ve told some of my friends, and they came here to this office, and family members, they came here, and they’ve helped everybody,” the accounting major said. “To be honest, this is one of the most fascinating things I’ve seen over here in the community.”
Lazcano has been appreciative of the help he has gotten from the URC since he came to City College.
The URC is an office that welcomes immigrants, undocumented students and staff by offering a safe space and resources.
In the troubling times where Immigration and Customs Enforcement is among the fears of many students, the URC held an open house and student mixer to bring the City College community together.
City College hosted the URC open house and student mixer on Feb. 9, in the first floor of the L building.
Speakers included City College President Ricky Shabazz and URC Coordinator Magalay Flores, who welcomed the community.
“It was an overall message of support for the community, and letting students know that we’re here for them, that we’re here to support them, and that also a reminder that we do not cooperate with ICE,” Flores said.
The student mixer was a space for students and staff to foster connections through free breakfast, gift card giveaways, bingo cards and a variety of resources to check out.
The URC presented flyers for support resources, such as immigration services, the emergency satellite pantry, financial aid guidance, admissions guidance, future event schedules and more.
“All of these services is super important to let our students know,” Flores said. “They don’t have to come to the URC to access these services, because some students might be scared of coming into the URC.”
Students and staff are able to book appointments with counselors and staff online through their website.
The URC is open from Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in room L-116.
“I feel like as a community, Hispanic Latino community, we could gather everybody,” Lazcano said.
This story was edited by Tresean Osgood and Nadia Lavin.
