Pre-Health Dreamers

Pre-­Health Dreamers* was started in 2012 by three undocumented immigrant young people—Denisse Rojas, New Latthivongskorn, and Angel Ku, who were actively pursuing careers in health and science. Denisse, New and Angel had witnessed first­hand the dearth of resources available for undocumented students in these fields, and envisioned a project that could support undocumented young people like themselves.

PHD supports undocumented young people by serving as: 1) a trusted community of undocumented students, 2) a resource of unprecedented knowledge on related career pathways, and 3) an advocate for increased access to health careers and health care for the undocumented community. In the past six years, PHD has made considerable progress in making health professional programs more accessible to undocumented young people. These achievements include:

• The creation of a network that includes over 1200 undocumented immigrant youth in over 45 states.
• The creation of novel programming for health professional school applicants; 45 participants have successfully gained admissions to medical school, nursing school, dental school, and other programs within the past three years.
• Spearheading two legislations in California to provide access to career licensing and health professions to immigrants regardless of immigration status with partner organizations.
• Partnering with leading academic institutions to promote inclusive policies for undocumented students entering health professions programs.
• Creating public awareness about the needs of pre-health undocumented young people through exposure in prominent media outlets such as LA Times, KQED, MSNBC, National Public Radio, and Univisión.
• *TED TALK*
• Receiving financial support from leading funders in immigrant rights and health care.
• Receiving recognition in Forbes 30 Under 30 magazine for creating more equity in education for undocumented students in 2017 and American Federation of Teachers’ Bayard Rustin Human Rights Award in 2018.

*PHD is a project of Immigrants Rising, which was founded in 2006 to transform individuals and fuel broader changes. With resources and support, undocumented young people are able to get an education, pursue careers, and build a brighter future for themselves and their community. Immigrants Rising is a fiscally sponsored project of Community Initiatives. Immigrants Rising is an equal opportunity employer. People of color, immigrants, women, and LGBTQ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.