ELGIN – Streamwood resident Gerardo Medrano, 20, earned a 3.5 grade-point average, which led to an internship offer at NASA or Fermilab in Batavia.

“The problem was, I needed a Social Security number,” Medrano said. “I had the highest grade in my physics labs, but I could not go to either one ... because I was undocumented.”

Medrano and other undocumented students gathered Tuesday at Elgin Community College and heard U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., talk about how the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals can aid their ability to further their educations and their lives.