Concerned School Counselor - Page 2

Please, feel free to ask any question. Almost all colleges and universities don't report undocumented students who choose to apply to their institution. The reason is that there is no system or established protocol. Additionally, applications to colleges/universities are strictly protected under federal privacy laws which prohibit institutions from divulging information to third parties, such as federal agencies. Unless, it is within established protocol such as a school providing information to the Department of Education for processing a student's FAFSA application.

Also, its a matter of principle, in that many university deans and admissions counselors understand that it is not their job nor duty to act as immigration officers. Bottom line, there is virtually no risk (in regard to immigration issues) when applying to colleges/universities.

Some colleges have a policy of not admitting undocumented students (this is usually the case in public universities), but no college will report the information to INS in an effort to enforce immigration law.

Welcome! It's a pleasure to have you here, especially knowing how much you seem to care for your students. A few things I would like to point out first:

*Spread the word to your students about the Dream Act. There are so many misconceptions and flat out lies in the general public regarding the Dream Act, so the more people who know what it truly stands for, the better we all are. Especially those who, like your students, can stand to benefit from it. We are going to need all the help we can get to garner enough votes for the passage of Dream when the time comes, and we would most certainly appreciate any help we can get.

*It seems like a majority of your students may be Latino, but I encourage you to spread the word that the Dream Act would benefit kids from all over the world. Here on the forum, every continent (except Antarctica) is represented. There are African, Asian, European, Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and Middle Eastern Dreamers in the exact same situation.

We all have different interests, from medicine to law to social work to academia to finance to engineering and more. We're all different individuals bound by a common thread, a thread that has a huge impact on our lives. You would never know our "secret" if you met us on the street one day. We're American in every way but writing, and refuse to be downgraded to second-class status.

*Here are some resources you may want to look into:
This is the now infamous(around here) Senator Durbin speech on the Senate floor about the Dream Act: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N0EdqN6VBw

Here is a very good list of scholarships your students could possibly be eligible for: http://www.maldef.org/pdf/Scholarships_01252003.pdf

There's information to be found on this website that could potentially be helpful. If there's anything specific you need, don't hesitate to ask. Same goes for if there are any more questions your students have.

I thank all of you for your comments, concerns, and advice. I will definitely (I have already joined the cause and sent emails on fbook) spread the word and contact my respective elected officials.

I will definitely tell my student all that I've learned tonight. Maybe even bring her to this site. Hopefully, I can help her cousin get into school here in the States.

I do realize that this site is composed of a conglomeration of individuals from different countries. However, the majority of the students I work with on a daily basis are Latino, that's why that population has been my primary concern (especially in a state that is seemingly anti-Hispanic).

Please continue to provide helpful feedback.

On another note....in the near future (next fall hopefully ) I will begin work on my dissertation. I will probably be bugging you guys when that time comes.

Thank you for all your help and support, its greatly appreciated.

Thank you for joining and being vocal in your support for the dream act. A large number of us cannot be vocal because we do not want to 'advertise' our situation.

I hope you will continue to be an advocate of the DREAMers and give voice to the voiceless…

Thank you

Wow, that is really awesome. Thank you for supporting those kids, it is great to see an educator who really cares and dedicates their life in teaching and education. You remind me of my wonderful teachers in high school.

I would personally tell your students that there is a lot of hope. It may be harder but it is totally worth it. So many people on this forum made so many sacrifices and they can tell you that their lives are not easy. Many of us are studying full time, working full time, and doing whatever we can in order to get our education.

But if they want it bad enough, they can get their education and there is still a lot of hope in terms of Dream, scholarships, marriage???, and even immigrating to a different country. I think it is clear that education is power to people like us who have no power and that it should be of the utmost priority in dreamer's life.

i had the same conversation with my h.s counselor 3 days ago and she had the same reaction. she suggested private universities. she told me that because i was illegal i would not be able to obtain government help but if i got accepted into a private university then my chances to obtaining financial aid would be alot higher then if i attend a public university. im glad you are trying to inform yourself about this topic. It's something very fragil and i hope that more people like you get involved in our cause.

Welcome to DAP! I am 6 months from graduating my Bachelor's degree, you can help by asking your students to advocate for the Dream Act, and by letting your colleagues know about their situation so that they can also advocate.

Once again. I thank everyone for your responses. Yesterday I called the student to my office and logged on to the website so she could see some of the different things people were saying.

Whomever gave me the link to the scholarships I printed off the entire list and told the student to take it home to her cousin.

Today, the student came to my office and expressed how appreciative her cousin was. PLUS, she told me that when she was telling her family about the Dream Act, she found out that another one of her cousins has been involved in the effort for several years now. She said he'd gone to D.C and met "with senators and stuff". I think this is totally fascinating.

The student is now helping me with starting a group for my Latino students so they can be informed of their options, and what could possibly be coming down the line in the near future.

^^^That's awesome! The biggest help for them is just spreading the word, so that they realize there are some options available to them, as you said. If they need any more help, they can always register and ask questions