7/28 Reflection

When thinking about the myth of meritocracy, I automatically think of an issue that has not been discussed in class yet: undocumented students and their struggle to achieve higher education. No where in our society is the myth of meritocracy as clear as it is in the case of undocumented students. Often times, undocumented students who are talented and have found success in our U.S. public schools are unable to access higher education because they are barred from financial federal aid.


The DREAM Act is a piece of pending federal legislation that would allow
undocumented young people access to federal financial aid and a path to legalization. In order to qualify for the DREAM Act, an undocumented young person must have lived in the United States since age 15 or younger, be between the ages of 12 and 30 when the legislation passes, have graduated from high school and completed two years of college or military service, and have a “good moral character”. There is much debate over this subject and the DREAM Act-- and I acknowledge that am only barely touching the subject-- but it is an issue I feel should be included in the course more in depth in the future.