Keys to a DREAM is a biographical visual novel in which you meet Dr. Tereza Lee, musician, educator, and activist, whose experience as a poor immigrant student inspired the original DREAM Act, federal U.S. legislation first proposed in 2001 aiming to provide a pathway to legal status and citizenship for undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children. Through interactive storytelling, players follow Tereza’s journey as a talented young student who dreamed of studying music while living with the fear that her immigration status could put those dreams out of reach.
Ideal for library patrons, secondary and post-secondary students, and independent learners alike, Keys to a DREAM introduces players to a pivotal chapter in U.S. immigration history while also developing critical thinking about civics and activism and highlighting the intersectionality of immigrant experiences and Asian American identities in U.S. history. The narrative design encourages inquiry-driven learning by players, including: learning circumstances that drive immigrants to come to the U.S.; the limitations of and unrelenting fear their undocumented status causes; calls to action to keep fighting for immigration reform.
Monday, August 31, 2026 release date marks almost exactly 2 years since Lien Tran first started designing and developing this project with the support of DePaul University Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media and many student assistantships over the course of those 8 quarters – and 25 years since the then-bipartisan DREAM Act was first introduced…. and still not passed.
For more about Keys to a DREAM:
