In this episode, Dr. Russell sits down with Mr. Torres, her high school college counselor and one of the people who told her she could go to college.

Together they explore what it actually takes to support undocumented students through the college access process, the systemic gaps, the emotional toll, and the difference one counselor can make when they show up with both knowledge and belief. Mr. Torres shares his philosophy of treating every student as if they were his own child, and reflects on what schools get wrong and what a few committed educators get very right.

The episode is part personal story, part call to action, for counselors, educators, and policymakers who want to do better by the students already sitting in front of them.

Key Takeaways

• School counselors can be the deciding factor in whether an undocumented student ever believes college is possible for them.
• Equitable access to information, including knowledge of AB 540 and state-specific resources is not a nice-to-have. It is the difference between a student applying and a student giving up.
• Undocumented students carry emotional and psychological burdens into the college process that most support systems are not designed to address.
• Proactive, early outreach to undocumented students matters more than most institutions realize, by the time students ask for help, many have already decided it isn't for them.
• Storytelling is advocacy. Hearing from counselors and students alike shifts what people believe is possible and what they believe is owed.