Joceline Tlacomulco came to Connecticut from Mexico when she was eight months old. She's now at the University of Connecticut pursuing a degree in music education, but she has to pay her own way.
"There's not one day that goes by without me asking myself, 'How am I going to pay off for next semester? Or will I even be able to continue college," Tlacomulco said, speaking to the General Assembly's Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee on Tuesday.
She gets some scholarship money, but because she's an undocumented student, she's ineligible for need-based aid from state or federal governments.
"The stress and anxiety is not only on the shoulders of my parents, but on mine as well," she said.
State lawmakers are considering a proposal that would open up financial aid to undocumented college students. It would allow undocumented students to take a slice of what's called institutional aid -- this is money a college collects from student tuition payments.
There are administrative costs involved to determine which students would be eligible, and that could be the hang-up in a tough budget year.
Still state officials are supportive of the idea. Mark Ojakian, president of the state's 17-college system, says he understands this reality.
"While the cost of this program to the state may be hard to bear at this time, the human cost of this lack of access is even greater," Ojakian said.
Yale student Alissa Wang gave lawmakers a stack of 875 letters signed by fellow students who want the bill passed.
"I think this is a clear demonstration that students are supportive of their undocumented peers," Wang said.
The Pew Research Center estimates there are 1.8 million undocumented children across the country. Roughly 65,000 of them graduate from U.S. high schools every year. Lack of financial aid is cited as the main reason most of them never attend college.
