Tatyana is associate professor in the Bilingual Education and TESOL programs at The City College of New York (CCNY) and Principal Investigator of the CUNY – Initiative on Immigration and Education (CUNY-IIE).  She was the founding faculty advisor to the CCNY Dream Team. She received an Ed.D. at Teachers College, Columbia University. Tatyana has served as president of the New York State Association for Bilingual Education and was a Fulbright Scholar in Oaxaca, Mexico studying return migration.  Tatyana is author of “Living, Learning and Languaging Across Borders: Students Between the US and Mexico” and  “Immigration: The Ultimate Teen Guide.” Tatyana is the director and (co)producer of the “Living Undocumented Series”” “Una Vida, Dos Países: Children and Youth (Back) in Mexico” and the “Supporting Immigrants in Schools” video series.  She was an elementary school teacher in Honduras and Atlanta, Georgia.

Ben is co-founder of the non-profit organization, The FilmShop, a group of independent filmmakers dedicated to developing new, groundbreaking work through collaboration and collective development.  He has filmed documentaries all over the world, including “The Revival of Jewish Poland,” which won Best Doc Picture at the 2014 Los Angeles Cinema Festival of Hollywood.  He has worked as cinematographer and editor on two previous films: “Living Undocumented: High School, College and Beyond,” and “Una Vida, Dos Países.”  He currently lives in New Orleans.

Irving was born in Mexico. During the summer of 1997 his family relocated to New York. He completed most of his education in New York including a bachelor’s degree at the City University of New York. His B.S. was in Bilingual Childhood Education.In 2018 he received a masters degree in TESOL from The City College of New York and M. Ed. in Special Education from the University of Puerto Rico. Irving lived in Puerto Rico for about 7 years and relocated back to the states early summer of 2021. He is currently working towards becoming an educational leader at the building level.

Jacki migrated to New York from Mexico at the age of 14 to reunite with her parents after years of separation. She graduated from Gregorio Luperón High School. She studied at The City College of New York were she obtained her bachelor’s degree in Bilingual Childhood Education and Psychology, and her master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Her passion is working with children and youth, and giving them the tools to empower themselves to become agents of change in their communities. In fact, she strongly believes in education as the means to achieve social justice. She dreams of becoming an educator to support children’s academic development while fostering their multicultural identity and growth in a safe space. Growing up undocumented is challenging, but as Jaqueline states, “Never give up and remember that you are not alone. Seek information, get active in your community and be proactive to take charge of your life and decisions.”

Jong-Min was born in Seoul, South Korea in 1980. When he was just a year old, his parents immigrated to the US on student visas. Though their visas expired in ’85, they lived in Nashville, Tennessee until Jong-Min was eight, when they moved to Brooklyn, New York where they currently live and work. Jong-Min attended Mark Twain Junior High School, Stuyvesant High School, and returned to Tennessee to attend college at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2003 with a BA degree in Sociology and a concentration in Criminal Justice and a minor in Psychology. After graduation, he returned to NYC and worked in the underground economy at a nearby flower store, pizzeria, and grocery store. Now after nearly 15 years of post college life, he still campaigns actively via online or groundwork for the DREAM Act, and comprehensive immigration reform to pass. He also advocates passionately for suicide prevention of undocumented youth as this issue has become more prevalent over time. His foremost goal is and will always be the saving of many lives. Jong-Min was the very first Korean-American in the New York Korean newspaper advocating for the DREAM Act, but don’t remind his mother about that. And yes, he does still eventually want to become that great Supreme Court Justice to help and inspire other Dreamers.

Arline came to the United States when she was 5 months old from Mexico and was raised in the Bronx.  She is working towards her bachelor’s degree in bilingual education and history at The City College of New York.  She has received the IME (Instituto de Mexicanos en el Exterior) Becas Scholarship as well as the Charles Ritter and Linda Madure Ritter Scholarship providing the funds to complete her undergraduate studies. As a beneficiary of the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), she aspires to pursue a career as a bilingual teacher. She currently interns at La Casa Azul Bookstore, promoting literature among the growing Mexican population in East Harlem.

Walde was born in Bamako, Mali, West Africa. She came to the United State when she was 12 years old.  Walde has received a scholarship from Bard College to attend any college of her choice. She is currently working as a Research Intern at the Sauti Yetu Center for African Women and Families. She also mentors young stutterers at Our Time Theater Company, and has performed with them in a production on Broadway. She is interested in being a teacher and actress. She hopes to continue helping people who stutter by giving them a voice to speak up.  Walde has created her own non-profit organization, “StutterLand” to help shape the ways stutterers are seen and treated.

Yeser was born in Veracruz, Mexico.  At the age of 6 he migrated to the U.S. to be reunited with his family who were already living in New York.  He graduated from high school in 2012 and is studying Liberal Arts and Humanities at Rockland Community College.  He plans to apply for DACA. His goal is to work in animation.  He encourages other DREAMers to take full advantage of the opportunities they are afforded in the U.S.

Farah immigrated to the United States from Cairo, Egypt at the age of 15 in 2008. She graduated high school with the highest honors in 2011. After being accepted into the Education Program at  the City College of New York (CCNY), and after finishing all credits for her Childhood Education major and taking all courses for her elementary mathematics concentration, she was harshly confronted that without qualifying for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program, known as DACA, president Obama enacted in 2012, she was barred from student teaching and thereby completing her degree. And the reason she does not qualify for DACA is because she arrived in the United States a year later than the required date, which is June 15 2007. She switched gears on her dreams and she graduated with an Interdisciplinary Studies of Arts and Science major, concentrating in Literary, Media and Arts from the Center for Worker Education at CCNY in 2018. She is currently pursuing an M.A. in Bilingual Education from CCNY.

Guadalupe is a first-generation college student. She migrated to the U.S. from Mexico at the age of seven. She began her college education at LaGuardia Community College and received her associate’s degree in paralegal studies. She then interned at the Elder Law Clinic of the CUNY School of Law, where she to worked as a part time paralegal intern and Spanish interpreter/translator. In her spare time, she volunteers as a translator for NY Catholic Charities. Guadalupe is pursuing a political science degree at the City College of New York and was the past-president of the CCNY’s Dream Team, which works with and on behalf of immigrant students.

Isabel was born in Mexico and came to the United States at the age of 6. She grew up in a small town in North Carolina and then moved to New York City when she was 15 years old. She graduated from The City College of New York in 2016 and obtained her bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Jewish Studies. She had the opportunity to go to Morocco to study the Jewish culture and hopes to one day return to Mexico to learn more about her own culture. She co-founded the CCNY Dream Team in 2012 and was vice-president in 2014. Currently, she is working as a paralegal for an immigration attorney and she hopes to one day become a lawyer in order to continue her passion and dedication in advocating for immigrant rights. She is currently a student at CUNY Law School.

Saulo was born in Guerrero, Mexico in the pueblo of Copanatoyac. He immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 1 with his mother and sister. He resided in California until the age of 5 when they moved to New York City and have been living there ever since. He graduated from Hostos Community College in 2013 with an Associates degree in Liberal Arts and is currently pursuing his Bachelor’s degree in Economics at The City College of New York. He has been an active member of the CCNY Dream Team since 2014 and became vice-president in 2017-2018. He is  interning with the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) in New York City. Saulo was accepted to join the U.S.-Mexico Foundation program called Dreamers Without Borders. Although he wasn’t able to travel after advance parole ended for DACA recipients, he is mentoring a student in Mexico City. Upon graduation he hopes to enroll into graduate school to specialize in digital  marketing.

Yatziri was born in Mexico and forced to migrate with her family to New York when she was just two years old due to violence and lack of resources. Yatziri began to notice the broken immigration system in the United States when applying to college. Attending college was not easy and being the first in her family motivated Yatziri to become the co-founder and later the president of the CCNY Dream Team, a student club dedicated to empowering undocumented students to take action and have their voices heard. Yatziri is a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient. She has previously worked as a college counselor and most recently at the Consulate General of Mexico in New York. Yatziri continues her advocacy work as a member of Make the Road New York (MRNY), where she joined the team as the Media Specialist in 2018. Yatziri has spoken out at rallies and protests demanding justice for all people, regardless of color, gender, religion or where they were born.

M is navigating their new identity as an artist through awkward exploration of what it means to call a place “home”.  From Ibarra, Ecuador, M grew up undocumented in New York and has spent a lot of time thinking about how the only place they can call home is within themselves.  Art has allowed M to feel comfortable with thoughts about being undocumented, queerness, depression, trauma, feelings, and bodies and how they all inform their artistic practice. M has been working as a graphic designer since 2013. They currently live in Brooklyn and spend a lot of time with their dog, Duncan.