For Luis Guzman, history major, his outlook on life changed when he turned sixteen and found out he was undocumented.

Like Guzman, undocumented students at Cerritos College have a new option for resources in the form of the Dreamers Club.

The club was started during the fall 2015 semester by geography major, Ana Gonzalez.

“Pretty much what motivated me was the lack of resources for undocumented students. There are a lot of AB-540 students that don’t know about the resources that are out there for them and they’re so confused,” she stated.

Gonzalez met Guzman, who is now the vice president of the club and related her plans of starting a club to which he responded that he to was an AB-540 student.

“I was trying to get a job through the government when I was sixteen, so that kind of sucked because it changed my whole outlook in life.

“It made me feel like I was a second-class citizen, where I don’t get the same rights as other people,” Guzman said of finding out he was undocumented.

“I joined this because you know I understand the situation,” the club’s vice president expressed.

Gonzalez stated that what sparked and motivated the start of the club was going to a UCLA transfer program where she witnessed the involvement of other community colleges.

“Most of them were very active at their community college within clubs, workshops, field trips, and me and other students were like ‘well, I don’t have that at my school, like we don’t even have an AB-540 or undocumented student club’ and then I really thought about it,” she noted.

She took action when she attended the Dream Act workshop at Cerritos College by asking for people’s numbers and emails and introducing the idea of starting a club.

The idea was to start something like the workshop but led by students.

“We got Yesenia Ramirez’ help in Admissions and Financial Aid and other staff such as counselors, and we’re still in the process but I feel happy as what we’ve acquired so far, which is getting the word out and becoming that club,” Gonzalez expressed.

She added, “The club is intended to offer guidance and any resources for undocumented students. A lot of people don’t go to the resources we have here on campus.”

She provided that those resources are often through counselors, admissions, or financial aid.

“They are ashamed of where we come from and saying ‘undocumented’ to some students is a big step,” she expressed.

“So I assume if they have a club where another student identifies themselves with who they are as well, they feel more comfortable with going ‘how can I get financial aid to go to a UC or a Cal State or so on,’” Gonzalez concluded.

The club president would like to implement field trips and tours especially for undocumented students to different UCs.

Gonzalez and Guzman believe the club is intended so students can discuss the different resources that are offered in and out of campus such as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

Among the other resources she listed are social security and driver’s licenses, “for us to go on as immigrants.”

Gonzalez hopes AB-540 students can be labeled much more than just immigrants.

So far the club has met three times and have started discussing future fundraising including fundraising for Zombie Fest, the festivities held by the college around Halloween.

The Dreamers Club will meet again on Thursday, Oct. 15.