Pedro Ramirez, president of the Associated Students, Inc., at California State University, Fresno, was named one of the “Top College Role Models of 2010” by the Huffington Post, an online news and blog site, for his role in lobbying for the DREAM Act after he admitted to being an undocumented resident.

Ramirez made two trips to Washington, D.C., to lobby for the bill, which was passed by the House of Representatives but failed to come up for vote in the Senate.

Ramirez is enrolled at Fresno State under provisions of state Assembly Bill 540, which allows certain undocumented students to attend California public colleges and universities. After the student newspaper, The Collegian, broke a story about his residency status Nov. 16, he became the center of worldwide media attention and was dubbed the poster child for young immigrants who grew up in the U.S. but were not citizens.

The Huffington Post recognized the students because “they triumphed in the face of adversity. They didn’t hesitate to fight – or study, or work for – something they believed in. They showed their true selves. And in 2010, they accomplished monumental things.”

Ramirez said he is honored and humbled by this recognition.

“Although I have been recognized for my status as an undocumented student, I will never give up working hard for my goals and the DREAM Act,” he said.

Fresno State President John D. Welty, who has supported Ramirez and the DREAM Act, commended his efforts.

“Pedro Ramirez is the kind of student and leader who can make a difference in the world. That’s the goal of Fresno State and all universities, and I am proud of his dedication to this cause. Like Pedro, I will continue to advocate for passage of the DREAM Act.”

Among the national and international media outlets interviewing Ramirez were CNN International, CNN Español, MSNBC, CNN with Don Lemon, CBS with Katie Couric, Univision, Telemundo, Satélite Radio Bilingüe, BBC Worldwide, Asahi Shimbun newspaper (Tokyo), the Christian Science Monitor, the Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, ABC radio San Francisco and NPR stations in Los Angeles and San Francisco as well as media outlets from México and Colombia. He also was the subject of a news capsule that aired intermittently on MTV Tr3s, the Hispanic programming channel for MTV.

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