For Immediate Release: January 27, 2020
Contact: Michael Earls: [email protected]
TheDream.US Announces Expansion of Scholarships to Support Illinois DREAMers’ College Access
Washington, DC – TheDream.US, the nation’s largest college access and success program for immigrant youth, today announced an expansion of its efforts to support Illinois DREAMers in their pursuit of a college education. Thanks to the support of Pritzker Traubert Foundation and the Pritzker Foundation, TheDream.US will be able to fund approximately 60 additional Chicago high school graduates through the Pritzker Access Scholarship to attend one of seven Chicago Partner Colleges for the 2020-2021 academic year. The expansion of support means that TheDream.US expects to support ~120 Chicago DREAMers next year at Arrupe College, Dominican University, Illinois College, Lewis University, National Louis University, Northeastern Illinois University, and University of Illinois Chicago.
TheDream.US Scholarship is now open to DREAMers who came to the United States before November 1, 2014. The application closes February 27, 2020. For more information on the new eligibility criteria and scholarship application process, click here.
According to Candy Marshall, President of TheDream.US, “TheDream.US Scholars attending our Chicago colleges and universities have compiled a stellar track record in and out of the classroom and continue to push forward to obtain a college education and apply their talents, skills, and energy despite the uncertainty in their own lives due to the precarious state of DACA.”
Jose Manuel Castro, a TheDream.US Scholar and a 2019 summa cum laude graduate from the University of Illinois at Chicago shares his dreams as follows: “Because of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and a scholarship from TheDream.US, I have been able to tap into my passions and achieve my dream of a college degree without hiding in the shadows. I recently graduated with highest honors in Criminology at the University of Illinois at Chicago and I plan to use my education as a steppingstone to obtain a career that will allow me to give hope and to be a role model for other young immigrants.”
About TheDream.US
TheDream.US is the nation’s largest college access and success program for immigrant youth, having provided more than 5,000 college scholarships to DREAMers at more than 70 partner colleges in 16 states and Washington, DC. The organization believes that all young people, regardless of where they were born, should have the opportunity to get a college education and contribute to the country that they call home.
- Read through TheDream.US Scholar story-bank, featuring powerful personal reflections from Scholars about their lives, journeys, and future goals here