Graduation Issue: Undocumented student finds community at UNM
Shayla Cunico | May 7The University of New Mexico’s diverse campus community is home to students and staff from all over the world, with 2018 graduate Paola Monarrez being one of them. Monarrez originally came to New Mexico 24 years ago from Hidalgo del Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico as an undocumented immigrant. “The most wonderful thing that I found about UNM was the fact that (the University) never discriminated against me for not being a citizen,” she said. Starting at UNM in 2009, before the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was passed, Monarrez said she was very grateful that being undocumented was one of the last things that she had to worry about when pursuing her degree. “I think that being an undocumented person made me feel as if I was incarcerated in my own city.









