School is named after undocumented American Jose Antonio Vargas

SCREEN CAPTURE / CBS

Undocumented Amercan Jose Antonio Vargas speaks at the school's dedication.

Monday morning, students are expected to be walking the halls of the only school  in the United States named after an undocumented immigrant.

On Thursday (Aug. 15), the Jose Antonio Vargas Elementary School in Mountain View, CA. was officially named after the immigration activist from the Philippines.

“This school, our school, represents the power of community. How to treat people with respect. How to live your life with love. How to live a life of continuous education that we can never stop learning, and learning about each other,” said the school's namesake, who still lives in the Bay Area.

"I don't really have words for how meaningful this honor is, I've been speechless for a few days," Vargas, 37, told CNN. "I hope that this is a school where students and their families feel welcome in America, no matter where they come from."

Vargas lived about a mile from the new school attending Crittenden Middle School and Mountain View High School. He didn't learn of his immigration status until 1997 when he tried to get a California driver's license and couldn't because his documents were fraudulent. At first, he kept his immigration status a secret.

He secured a private scholarship to attend San Francisco State University. Vargas went on to become a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle and the Washington Post. It was at the Post where he won a Pulitzer Prize in 2007 for team coverage of the Virginia Tech shooting.

In 2011, he revealed in a New York times oped that he was an undocumented immigrant. Vargas’ family sent him from the Philippines to the United States as a child, to be raised by his grandparents. The 38-year-old has since become an outspoken activist for immigration reform.

“I wouldn’t be the human being that I am without my community. I define American as community. The community of people who see you and make you feel whole,” said Vargas.

Last September, he published a memoir, "Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen."

When asked by CBS what message the naming of the school sends to DonaldTrump, Vargas puased before answering:

“We live in such a divided time right now but every community has to decide who’s welcome. There are an estimated 350,000 undocumented immigrants in the Bay Area alone. I hope they feel welcome in this area. I know I do.”

SCREEN CAPTURE / CBS

Jose Antonio Vargas meets one of the students who will be attending the scchool named after him.

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