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Zitlalli Roman has a job, an internship and an eye on getting a master’s degree—maybe even a Ph.D. What she doesn’t have is a Social Security number.

Roman, a 24-year-old Northeastern Illinois University student, immigrated to the Chicago area from Mexico City illegally when she was 16. When she was accepted at Harper Community College in Palatine, she said, her undocumented status wasn’t an issue until the payment question came up.

“They didn’t have a problem to enroll me or anything like that,” she said. “It was just for the money.”

Undocumented students may legally attend college in Illinois. Paying for it is the real hurdle. Without legal residency status, they cannot get federal student aid, including federal loans, Pell Grants or work-study money.

So for the past few years, Roman’s life has been a constant process of finding scholarships, applying and crossing her fingers. Each one, she said, takes at least six hours, not including the time it takes to get her transcript.

“I go to the scholarship office, I would say, once a week or once every two weeks, just to keep me in the loop,” she said. “But honestly, it’s just too much. Working 10 hours [a week] is not that much, then 16 hours in my internship and five classes. I also have homework. I’m in the process of applying for grad school. … There are times I do not sleep. I am not a normal person.”

Illinois is more welcoming than some states; qualifying undocumented students can pay in-state tuition, and the Illinois DREAM Act established a private scholarship fund for qualified students without legal immigration status. Roman received a DREAM scholarship last year.

In addition, some colleges are taking action to support undocumented students. Roman said NEIU, where she transferred after getting her associate’s degree at Harper, has been particularly welcoming.

“I was able to meet the scholarship coordinator … and I told her my situation,” she said. “She was ilke, ‘you’re not alone. There are so many [undocumented] students here, and we have resources.’ “

The University of Chicago’s website states that “all students who apply, regardless of citizenship, are considered for admission and for every type of private financial aid that the University offers.” Student government officials at Loyola are in the process of creating a scholarship fund specifically for undocumented students.

Roman’s scholarships have covered most of her college costs; the rest, she has paid for by working as a machine operator at a suburban factory. Even though she cannot work legally in the U.S., she said she has always been able to find a job.

That might get harder once she graduates; she cannot be licensed in her chosen field—social work—without legal residency status.

But her openness about being undocumented has helped her in unexpected ways, she said.

“I feel like the scholarships and this money would not be here if I had not come out [as undocumented], if I had not told people up front, ‘I am undocumented, but I am worth it, this is why I should get funding, this is why I should get help, and I will not let you down.’ “

mcrepeau@tribune.com | @crepeau

This semester, NEIU student Zitlalli Roman is taking five classes. Here’s how she’s paying for them.

COSTS:

$4,875.35 – tuition and fees

$400 (approx.) – textbooks

TOTAL COSTS: $5275.35

SCHOLARSHIPS:

$3,000 – Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County scholarship

$500 – Scholarship from NEIU’s social work department

$550 – NEIU Alumni Association Internship Scholarship

TOTAL SCHOLARSHIPS: $4,050

$1,225.35 paid out of pocket