Career Resources for the DACA Community

Meet with a Staff Member

Call or visit the Career Center to schedule an appointment with one of our staff members who can work with you to explore career opportunities.

• Career counseling is a collaborative and confidential space where you can work with a counselor to clarify goals while exploring your values, interests, skills and personality. A counselor can support you through the decision-making process as you apply to internships, consider graduate school and develop a plan for moving forward.
• Industry advising appointments help you explore internship and job opportunities in a variety of fields. Our advisors can work with you to identify opportunities and employers for whom U.S. citizenship or permanent residency may not be a requirement.

Support for Unpaid Internships

As an undocumented student, you may also be managing financial stressors that make it difficult to pursue unpaid internships. There are some resources available at Villanova and externally that may help you manage financial constraints.

Review our webpage of departments and organizations that offer scholarships, funding and additional resources for students with unpaid internships. Pay close attention to application requirements and deadlines and reach out to the departments for more information.

Disclosing Your Status to Employers

It can be confusing and stressful to decide when and with whom to share your status. Throughout the job search and hiring process, it is important to provide information that is true and authentic, however, you ultimately get to decide whether to share your status. Come in to talk with a staff member about strategies for disclosing your status at different points in the process.

Filling Out Applications

On job applications, there is usually a question that says: “Are you legally authorized to work in the United States?”

• If you have DACA you can answer “yes” to the question and continue through the hiring process without having to disclose more detailed information about your background.
• If you do not have DACA or another work authorization status, there are other options you may consider for gaining experience and finding employment.

Financing Graduate School

Many graduate schools offer funding to help with the cost of graduate school. Some financial assistance comes in the form of research or teaching assistantships. Some programs also offer scholarships for incoming students.

• Harvard’s Act on a Dream Searchable Scholarship Database
• My (Un)Documented Life’s List of Scholarships

Government Resources

• DACA Information
• American Civil Liberties Union
• Educators for Fair Consideration
• National Immigration Law Center
• Federal Student Aid, Office of Department of Education
• United States Citizenship and Immigration Services

Professional Associations & Networking Groups

• United We Dream is a national network with state, local and federal campaigns that advocate for justice for undocumented students.
• UndocuBlack Network is a network dedicated to the empowerment and the advancement of undocumented black individuals.
• Pre-Health Dreamers (PHD) is a national network that provides support to undocumented students who are pursuing careers in health and science.
• The Latino Medical Student Association has a scholarship for pre-medical students interested in advancing healthcare and education for Latino and underserved communities. Students are eligible to apply regardless of immigration status.