CSUMB Undocu-Success Conference lives up to its name

Cal State Monterey Bay hosted the sixth annual Undocu-Success Conference on April 13. Guillermo Metelin Bock, CSUMB’s undocu-success coordinator, said he was pleased with the event.

“The conference played a vital role in ensuring that incoming undocumented students feel welcomed, supported, and part of the CSUMB family,” Metelin Bock said. “With a total of 50 undocumented students in attendance, this year marked the first in-person conference since the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Those attending included CSUMB students, staff and faculty, along with partners from local community colleges, including MPC, Cabrillo and Hartnell. Attendees also came from as far away as Virginia, including Manson University.

Metelin Bock said he believes the conference strengthened connections for students transferring to CSUMB.

“One of our key accomplishments was supporting local community colleges in ensuring transfer students have the necessary resources to transition to a California State University,” he said. 

The other main thrust, he added, “was to empower our undocumented and mixed-status student community through fostering support, advocacy, and professional development.”

Students were able to attend sessions on a range of topics, including immigration updates,  exploring and navigating graduate school, the Sixth Amendment right to counsel and how it applies to non-citizens, and undocumented entrepreneurship. 

Metelin Bock said he hopes the conference will grow in future years. 

“Our goals for next year include expanding our reach to a larger audience within the community and across California, including states interested in providing support for undocumented students in higher education,” he said. 

The Undocu-Success Center, he said, has been instrumental in advocating for undocumented students at CSUMB and across the state to increase opportunities for traditionally underrepresented students.