Columbia, SC (WLTX) -- One week ago today, DACA recipients from across the Palmetto State attended the first ever "Dreamer Lobby Day."
A group of 40-plus pushed for a new state bill, House Bill 4435 , otherwise known as the South Carolina Dreamers Act of 2018.
This would make Dreamers eligible for in-state tuition, more merit-based scholarships and they will have the ability to obtain professional licenses.
For example, if a Dreamer desires to be a nurse, a welder, realtor, cosmetologist, or even a barber, they can't pursue that dream because their legal status won't allow them to get a professional license.
Nineteen-year-old Lendale Vazquez was one of those Dreamers at the statehouse for Dreamer Lobby Day. She earned the grades to be a nurse, and even tried to become a licensed pharmacy technician.
That dream was met by roadblocks because of her legal status.
"I am originally form Veracruz, Mexico. A little town named Huatusco. Very small, we're in between three different volcanoes," said Vazquez.
Lendale Vazquez immigrated to Saluda, South Carolina, when she was 2. Her family then moved 35 minutes southeast to Gilbert, South Carolina.
"Growing up, we weren't exactly poor, but we weren't exactly rich," said Vazquez. "We had enough to scrape by, but I wanted to help my family out more than anything."
Vazquez works for a landscaping company. News 19 interviewed her while she was working on a project in front of the County Administrative Center in Orangeburg.
The landscaping job helps financially, but Vazquez once dreamed of becoming a nurse.
"We're just trying to help," she said. "We're just trying to get by and do what we love."
In high school, Vazquez was a Certified Nursing Assistant by her senior year, but quickly learned she wasn't eligible for in-state tuition and many college scholarships because of her legal status.
"With a high tuition for out-of-state students, it can be hard to work to be able to pay for school and to get to school to be able to find better work," said Vazquez. "It's a vicious cycle."
So Vazquez took a different route out of high school and worked for a local pharmacy. They offered to help her pay to get a license as a pharmacy technician.
"I had everything ready to go to go apply for it, but I was also rejected because in the state of South Carolina, DACA recipients aren't allowed to get professional licensing," said Vazquez. "I just went home, sat down and stared at my door. I didn't know what to think. I was just completely blown away."
Vazquez stays involved with local DACA groups pushing for change, and a place in society.
"I've also had the opportunity to get to go to DC to lobby for the Dream Act," she said.
Vazquez says her goal is simply to contribute to her home she's known for 17 of her 19 years.
"We're human, too, more than anything. We just want our own place," said Vazquez. "We've been here so long. Not only us, but our parents. They are the original Dreamers."
If the South Carolina Dreamers Act of 2018 passes, Vazquez says she plans to go to college and pursue her original dream of becoming a nurse.
DACA recipients will soon give testimonies before lawmakers in a subcommittee hearing on the bill.
South Carolina is one of six states that doesn't allow in-state tuition for Dreamers.
"I couldn't play certain sports. I couldn't go on certain field trips. Back in the day, you couldn't go if you didn't have certain kinds of medical insurance or for certain reasons. I can't have that stuff because I didn't have a social security number."
When Vazquez was 14, she learned about DACA. She became a Dreamer when she was eligible at 16.