New Scholarship fund to help DREAMers

Malign0n · 02-04-2014, 09:03 PM

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A former owner of The Washington Post launched on Tuesday a national scholarship fund for Dreamers who can’t afford to pay for college and don’t qualify for federal financial aid programs.

Donald E. Graham is spearheading the new scholarship fund dubbed TheDream.US alongside Democratic fundraiser and philanthropist Henry R. Muñoz III and former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez. So far, the group has raised more than $25 million for scholarships from philanthropic and business leaders, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies. The scholarship funds will be used to award 1,000 scholarships to Dreamers in the next academic year. Graham said the Dreamers he knows are “very highly motivated” and want to go to college but “often face countless roadblocks.”

“With support from our partner institutions and from civic leaders across the country, TheDream.US is building a new movement to remove these roadblocks and make higher education a reality for thousands of undocumented immigrants,” he said in a statement. “We’re making a down payment on our country’s future by helping these young Americans achieve the American Dream.”

To be eligible for scholarships by TheDream.US, Dreamers must meet a series of requirements.

First, they must qualify for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which protects Dreamers from deportation and allows them to stay and work in the United States. They must have also graduated from a U.S. high school or achieved a GED diploma with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.

Furthermore, Dreamers must demonstrate financial need and plan to pursue a career-ready associate’s or bachelor’s degree at one of the schools partnering with TheDream.US. So far, 12 colleges and universities have signed on as partners in states like New York, Florida, Texas and California.

The scholarships will range in size based on each student’s financial need and tuition costs. Students will be awarded up to $25,000 in total to cover tuition, fees and books.

In order to keep their scholarships, recipients will need to maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA, remain continuously enrolled in college and remain DACA eligible. Scholars who graduate from college with a GPA of 3.5 or higher will be eligible for an additional $1,000-2,000 award

A total of 39 Dreamers have already been awarded scholarships by the TheDream.US. They were selected last December, before the official launch of the scholarship fund. The scholars average a GPA of 3.5 and come from 13 different countries.

One of those scholars is Dianeli Mendez, a 22-year-old Dreamer living in Florida who will be the first in her family to go to college. Her father never went to school and her mother only finished elementary school.

Mendez said she tried to pay her way through college but couldn’t afford it. Now, she will be attending Miami Dade College thanks to the scholarship by TheDream.US.
She said she wants to encourage other Dreamers to not be afraid and to continuing their education.

“When I was in high school, I didn’t have my documents, so it felt like many doors were closed,” Mendez said in TheDream.US website. “I didn’t even do the SAT or the ACT because I thought, ‘I’m not going to be able to go to college.’ Now I know that there are people who believe that we — the DREAMers — will be someone.”

Muñoz said many Dreamers “face extreme obstacles” in their quest to go to college and succeed.

“We believe that all DREAMers — regardless of race or national origin — should have the opportunity to obtain a college education and contribute to the prosperity of our nation,” he said in a statement.

Each year, approximately 65,000 Dreamers graduate from U.S. high schools. Many of them want to go to college but can’t afford to pay the tuition cost, and their undocumented status makes them ineligible for financial aid.Most states require Dreamers to pay out-of-state tuition rates even if they grew up in those states, making it more difficult to go to college. But two members of Congress want to change that through a bill designed to encourage states to allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates and access financial aid to attend public colleges and universities.

Other lawmakers have pushed for the passage of the DREAM Act, a bill that would pave a path to citizenship for Dreamers who’ve been living in the U.S. since they were children. Though the bill has strong bipartisan support, it has failed to pass since it was first introduced in 2001.

“Absent the passage of the DREAM Act or other breakthrough in immigration policy, thousands of eager young people will be unable to achieve their academic dreams,” Gutierrez said in a statement. “We are not waiting for Washington to solve these challenges.”

“Instead, individuals dedicated to a brighter future for all young Americans have come together to create a national movement that will empower immigrant youth through education, as we believe that college access is vital to DREAMers’ ability contribute to their families, their communities and the future of this nation,” he continued.

Tuesday’s announcement of TheDream.US scholarship fund is the result of a collaboration of Dreamers like Gaby Pacheco, business and education leaders and former and current elected officials who gave input to the founders about what’s needed to help Dreamers go to college.

The fund is endorsed by people like: former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich; former Florida governor Jeb Bush; Rupert Murdoch, founder and CEO of News Corp.; and actors Eva Longoria and Diego Luna.

http://voxxi.com/2014/02/04/scholars...amers-college/

frbc13 · 02-05-2014, 05:18 PM

You mean somebody actually gives a shit about us?

FinAnalyst · 01:44 PM

Great news! I hope future successful dreamers can contribute to such programs. Specially those who have benefited from them!
Now I wonder if this can be applied to graduate programs...

Frank Knight · 02-06-2014, 05:34 PM

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Originally Posted by FinAnalyst

Great news! I hope future successful dreamers can contribute to such programs. Specially those who have benefited from them!
Now I wonder if this can be applied to graduate programs...

Already asked them via email; for the time being this is only for first time undergrads.

StepUp · 02-08-2014, 06:26 PM

Too bad the college I am going to isn't partnered with them. -_-
At least some DREAMers are getting help.

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