A panel of faculty, staff and graduate students discussed what it takes to become a graduate student and ways they succeeded with the help of the Dreamer Resource Center on Monday, Oct. 19.

The panel was led by Rhonda Rios Kravitz, dean emeritus at Sacramento City College.

Kravitz asked panelist Zitali Torres, a Sacramento State student, about financial aid options for undocumented students. Torres said there are little to no federal programs for undocumented students.

“If you have not gone to three years of high school in California you are not eligible for AB 540,” Kravitz said. “We want to work with our legislators to create more opportunities.”

Assembly Bill 540 is a bill that was passed in 2001 to let undocumented students pay in-state tuition instead of out-of-state tuition in California.

The new California DREAM Loan Program will let undocumented students in the CSU and UC systems borrow up to $4,000 a year, with a lifetime maximum of $20,000, according to the California Legislative Information website.

“Dreamers, undergraduate or graduate level students, can apply for this loan, and pay it back once you graduate,” Torres said. “There are a lot of dreamer scholarship options through the community and the college, in and out of the Dreamer Resource Center.”

Oswaldo Hernandez, a Sac State student pursuing a masters in education, shared his experience as a student working multiple jobs.

“I had to work a lot during my undergraduate journalism studies, especially when it came to finding an internship, which is a key part of the degree,” Hernandez said. “I went into substitute teaching after not being able to find work in journalism. I then applied to the masters in education graduate program here at Sacramento State.”