Last updated on October 27, 2021
Cabrillo College has elected its first undocumented student body president, Ana Lopez, who defeated Spencer Merritt 161 to 100 in voting the first week of May. Her term is for the 2019-20 school year.
Lopez, 31, has a laugh like a sudden crash of bells and bright, intelligent eyes. She also has a 2-year-old son, who she says is one of the main reasons she came back to college after a decade of being out of school.
“The moment I had my son, I knew that something had to change,” said Lopez, currently serving as treasurer of the Student Senate. “I knew that I had to be the best that I could be, and what better way than by getting my education.”
Lopez was raised by a single mother who worked in the fields and had to move constantly. “An undocumented mom with four undocumented kids wasn’t easy.” Lopez recalled, “One year, we moved four times.”
She hopes to provide a more stable life for her son than she experienced, but it hasn’t been easy. “Balancing school and balancing work and family life, it can be a little hectic.” When her husband has to work night shifts, it makes child care more difficult. Cabrillo has on-campus day care, but only in the morning.
Being undocumented adds a whole host of challenges, from not being able to get a driver’s license or ID to the daily fear of deportation. “My worry after Trump got elected was what if I’m in the wrong place at the wrong time and I get taken away?”
In September 2017, Trump ended the Obama administration’s executive order Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) which allows undocumented youths to get work permits and financial aid for school. It also made them a low priority for deportation. Almost 800,000 people have received protections through DACA, according to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Around campus there are fliers that say “The end of DACA is not the end of your education.” This is part of outreach the Office of Student Equity does to support undocumented students at Cabrillo.
The new vice president, Jacob Castillo, who ran on the same platform as Lopez, is the California Dream Act ambassador for the Office of Student Equity. “It’s already challenging enough to be a student,” said Castillo. “But to have undocumented status adds a bigger pressure. I wanted to take on that job to not only make a difference in undocumented students’ lives but to use my privilege as a citizen of the United States to help out others that don’t have that same privilege.”
Castillo defeated Blake Charman, who ran with Merritt as members of a group called Seahawks for Democracy.
This year’s election used paper ballots instead of Survey Monkey, since the process of counting votes was thrown into question. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating the 2016 election, as a result of claims that the contest was rigged.
When Lopez decided to come back to school, she arrived at Cabrillo in spring 2017 worried that she would experience the same embarrassing situation she’s dealt with many times when she is asked for an ID and cannot provide one. “But when I got here I arrived with my son in the stroller and the office ladies were so wonderful and welcoming,” she said.
The Office of Student Equity showed her that she could get money for school with the California Dream Act, which allows undocumented people who were brought into the country as children to apply for financial aid.
A lot has changed for her since coming to Cabrillo. “I come from a different generation, a generation that you were not supposed to say anything about your immigration status. You were supposed to stay in the shadows and blend in and now I’m not afraid to say it. Before I was so embarrassed, even when I came in to the Senate I was not open about my status.”
Lopez looks forward to serving the Cabrillo student body as president. One of the most rewarding things has been connecting students with resources they need.
This year the budget committee of the Student Senate doubled funding for the food security program. Next to the Student Senate office is a food pantry, where students can get produce and canned food.
“I’ve used it myself, when I’ve been broke,” said Lopez. “If it’s between child care or my lunch, child care it is. So things like that are important to have because it’s a resource for everybody.”
Lopez will graduate from Cabrillo in spring 2020 and plans to transfer to San Jose State University, and double major in business management and accounting.
The Student Senate is still looking for students to serve as the Watsonville representative, the student activities commissioner and as senators.
