How Graphic Design Schools Can Collaborate with HSP Networks to Empower Undocumented Creative Talent

Robert T. Teranishi, Ph.D.

By Robert T. Teranishi

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Graphic Design learning

Undocumented workers in the United States face unprecedented challenges in recent years. Every time they go to work or even leave their homes they face the possibility of deportation.

What solutions exist for these vulnerable populations? Is there a way to keep them safe and allow them to earn a livelihood? 

One potential solution is to facilitate their ability to earn a living in a remote/WFH environment. This can permit them to earn their livelihood in a manner that is flexible and that allows them to choose their exposure to the outside world, rather than forcing them to leave the safety of home when they suspect that it isn’t the wisest choice.

An excellent option that can provide a lucrative remote career is graphic design. With a short degree program (as little as fifteen months) and an ever-expanding market for this skill, graphic design is an excellent field for vulnerable workers to explore.

But how can graphic design schools reach this untapped resource of potential talent? 

This is where HSP networks come into their own. Humanitarian service points (HSP)  provide a great place for recruiters to find undocumented talent and offer an opportunity for a better, safer career. 

When graphic design schools begin utilizing HSP networks to advertise and recruit, they will find that they are casting a wide net that can provide opportunity for an under-represented population to reach their creative potential and enter the workforce with a new sense of confidence.

How HSP Can Become a Point of Contact Between Colleges and Undocumented Students

Millions of undocumented workers–and their children–live in the US and utilize humanitarian service points as a place to form networking connections with employers and other opportunities.

These HSPs are often centered in areas where migrant workers tend to be concentrated. From the service point, American Red Cross or Red Crescent employees may also find their way to schools that are attended by the children of undocumented and migrant workers. 

These workers are very familiar with the local populations of undocumented workers, and know which students seem like good candidates for further education. 

They are also motivated to help students who are approaching adulthood to consider obtaining a further education, which would allow them to make a better and safer living in the long run.

Are Undocumented Students Seeking to Attend College?

Many undocumented students enter the workforce directly after they graduate from high school–if they wait for graduation at all. Their status as children of hardworking families, whose parents may not be highly educated themselves, tends to push them toward a rapid entry into the workforce so that they can start making money sooner.

HSP humanitarian actors try to provide a counterpoint to this strategy. They encourage these young people to stay in school as long as possible, knowing that this will improve their chances of financial independence in the future–and possibly allow them to return to the US legally on a work visa or even apply for citizenship someday as a result of their higher earning potential and valuable skills.

The advantages of an online education, particularly one that can be accomplished in a short amount of time–here become clear. To these young adults on the verge of entering the workforce and being able to help support their family, an online degree program that they can take at their own pace and in their own timing may allow much needed flexibility.

And in uncertain times, it is again very helpful that these individuals can get their degree without being forced to travel to a campus where they may be vulnerable to a variety of dangers that citizens don’t have to worry about.

Wny Graphic Design Schools Present an Excellent Career Choice for Undocumented Students

With the advent of more affordable technology and the ready availability of fast internet service, undocumented students are finding that the labor market holds exciting new possibilities. 

Technology in America is no longer a privilege of the upper class. The hardware and software needed is becoming more accessible than ever, and the connectivity can be found–whether in homes or at an HSP–very easily compared to even a decade ago. 

Gone are the days when these students face extremely limited jobs in cleaning or manual labor. Today they have many options for making an excellent living, and graphic design is just one example. 

When online graphic design degree programs partner with humanitarian actors at HSPs, they are able to connect with an amazing pool of potential talent. These young people are highly motivated, hard working, and eager to complete their training and begin a lucrative career.

A graphic design degree can provide a safe means for an undocumented worker to safely find remote work, whether in the US or elsewhere, and may even be useful for achieving a work visa and a path to citizenship.


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Robert T. Teranishi, Ph.D.

Robert T. Teranishi

Professor of Social Science and Comparative Education

Robert Teranishi is a Professor of Social Science and Comparative Education, the Morgan and Helen Chu Endowed Chair in Asian American Studies, and co-director for the Institute for Immigration, Globalization and Education at UCLA.

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