Who we are

We are a group of undocumented and DACAmented genetic counselors and prospective students hoping to advocate for undocumented professionals and our clients.

Our Mission

The Undocumented GC Network was established to provide guidance to undocumented GC students and GCs as they navigate throughout their genetic counseling journey. We also aim to inform the GC community about barriers faced by undocumented students and GCs. We plan to achieve our vision by drawing awareness of and advocating for issues that impact the undocumented population.

Reason for Our Work

Top findings from the New American Economy & Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration 2020 report:

  • More than 450,000 (approximately 2% of all students) undocumented students are enrolled in higher education

  • 87% of DACA-eligible students are enrolled in undergraduate programs, and 13% of DACA-eligible students are enrolled in graduate-level programs

We hope to contribute towards expanding the GC application pool and diversifying the field by connecting with students from this population who may be interested in genetic counseling.

~36%
of individuals matched to genetic counseling programs belong to racial and ethnic minority groups
(Data sourced from NMS GC Admissions Match Statistics)

Our Goals

  • Draw awareness of issues pertaining to undocumented prospective and current genetic students, practicing genetic counselors, and undocumented clients.

  • Provide peer support for those who are undocumented and are in or have plans to join the genetic counseling profession.

  • Advocate to dismantle institutional policies that hinder the ability practice genetic counseling as an undocumented student or genetic counseling professionals.

  • Advocate to dismantle institutional policies that hinder the ability for undocumented clients to access and benefit from genetic counseling.

Guiding Principles

1) We are committed to creating a welcoming community.

  • We want to establish a safe space for undocumented individuals to feel accepted, share their stories, or address any concerns they may have throughout their professional GC journey.

2) We celebrate differences in perspective and are open to new ideas and changes that surround us.

  • We welcome feedback and would like to hear how we can cater to our undocumented community by hearing your experiences. Our resource guides were created in 2022 and includes information that is accurately representative up to this date.

3) Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (J.E.D.I.) Action Plan

  • We hope to increase genetic counseling awareness to recruit minority communities and expand the inclusion of students from different backgrounds.