Omar and his pregnant mother emigrated from Mexico to the U.S. when he was 3 years old. His biological father was an alcoholic and his mother wanted to get away, get a job and give her sons a better opportunity.

Omar, whose last name [X]Press has chosen not to disclose, is now an 18-year-old high school graduate from Oakland. He has a 3.3 GPA and will be attending California State University East Bay in Hayward this fall.

It took a lot to get to where he is.

Approximately 2.5 million undocumented immigrants under the age of 18 were living in the U.S. and many of them were brought here at a young age, according to the 2000 U.S. Census. Omar is one of them.

“We don’t have the papers,” said Omar. “[We] have to try harder for us to get the scholarships.”

Roger Alvarado, community activist, believes that undocumented children have larger problems compared to undocumented adults.

“If you are the child of an undocumented adult your problems are even that much larger, exponentially,” he said.

Undocumented immigrants struggle for scholarships. In order to apply for state and federal grants and scholarships, applicants need a social security number or they can’t apply.

Research done by the Pew Hispanic Research Center shows foreign-born Hispanics achieve more than native-born Hispanics.

In 2004, 17 California high school valedictorians were undocumented, according to the Undocumented Student Resource Guide.

“It’s our families that push us to do best,” Omar said.

He said he feels pressured to do better for his mom, not because of her actions but because he wants to honor her sacrifice.

“I don’t want to let her down,” said Omar.

Omar’s parents don’t speak English and can’t really help him with his homework, but they support him in other ways.

“They care a lot,” said Omar. “They talk to my teachers and my advisors.”

Omar gets support not only from his mom and stepfather, but also from his manager at work. His manager is aware that he is undocumented, but allows him to work there because they share a similar experience.

“He was a good friend to me,” said Omar. “He motivates me to stay in school.”

“[Undocumented] individuals that are students or parents are going to work a lot harder obtaining their goals because the doors have already shut for them,” said Rosa Keel, who takes an ESL class at City College of San Francisco. Most of her classmates are undocumented or have a student visa. “You say, ‘How can I open that door for myself and the person behind me?’”