Senior Jose is an IB Diploma candidate with a GPA of 3.667. In addition to his full IB courseload, he is in the Hispanic Leadership Club and the Annandale Medical Association. Like most seniors, Jose  is worrying about college and his future. However, another thing for Jose to worry about is the passing of a legislation that could affect his future entirely, called the Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors Act, better known as the DREAM Act. Jose is considered an undocumented resident of the United States, or as some might put it, “an illegal alien.”

The DREAM Act will help undocumented immigrants that meet certain requirements get into college or enlist in the military. It also will help to give those individuals a path toward eventual citizenship. For someone to qualify, he or she must have entered the United States under the age of 16, be living in the United States for at least five consecutive years before the bill is passed, be between the ages of 12-35 at the time of their application and have good moral character. They must also have graduated from high school, obtained a GED (General Educational Diploma), or been accepted into a college or university.

Jose has been living in the United States for almost 10 years, ever since he moved here from Bolivia with his family. He is now hoping the DREAM Act will bring him more opportunities for his future.

Recent revision of the bill changed the states allowing in state tuition from all 50 states to only nine states, not including Virginia. Jose originally planned to attend Old Dominion University, Virginia Tech, or Stony Brook University. However, he will now be forced to attend community college or get loans from family members to pay the difference between in state and out of state tuition for Virginia.

“Having citizenship would open up a lot more job opportunities. You need it to apply for lots of jobs,” Jose said. If a student meets all of the requirements for the DREAM Act, as well as completes two years of military service or earns a college degree, then they will be eligible for a six year “conditional path to citizenship,” according to DreamAct.info. In more basic terms, the government will recognize the undocumented status of these students, but allow them to go through with college and conditional citizenship here and then apply for citizenship upon completion.

“Kids don’t have a say; they’re victims,” said spanish teacher Antonio Rivandeneira. He is also the sponsor of Hispanic Leadership Club said. Rivadeneira added that children who enter the United States illegally because they were brought with their parents have no choice and no say in their citizenship while still minors.

The current status of the DREAM Act is precarious. The bill was passed in the House of Representatives on Dec. 8, and is now being debated in the Senate. Congress as a whole has shown unease with the bill based on the recent votes, as the House won by a relatively small margin of 216-198.

Jose defends the DREAM Act with the fact that it will bring positive effects. “For one thing, [colleges and the military] would gain more bilingual people,” he said. “It’s not just Hispanics; it is Asians and people from other countries that weren’t born in the U.S. They would gain more languages and more types of cultures. They would have more diversity in their schools.”

Students in the Hispanic Leadership Club have been taking part in the youth movement to get the bill passed, as many of them have been calling their Congressional representatives from their homes to show their support.

“I’ve gone to rallies in D.C.; I feel strongly about [the DREAM Act]. I think everyone has the right to succeed,” sophomore Moises Ruiz said. Students who are not directly affected by the DREAM Act, but still support it, are serving major roles on the campaign.

“Even though it doesn’t affect me, I want it to pass because it would affect people’s lives who deserve the opportunity,” sophomore Varinia Frias said.

An important aspect of the bill that has been brought up is that it will have a lasting impact on future generations as well.

“[The DREAM Act] encourages other generations too because siblings will see they worked hard,” junior Sara Contreras said. “It’s not about waiting until the last minute.”

For now,  Jose and the rest of the undocumented Americans will have to wait to see if this bill will be passed by the Senate, and until it is, the strong support for it from students remains.