For Immediate Release: December 16, 2020
Contact: Michael Earls: [email protected]
TheDream.US Announces Opening of College Scholarship Round for New York City Immigrant Youth
Visit https://www.thedream.us/scholarships/national-scholarship/ for Application Information
Washington, DC – TheDream.US, the nation’s largest college access and success program for immigrant youth, has announced the opening of its new Scholarship round for the 2021-2022 academic year. The organization’s expanded eligibility criteria opens applications to DREAMers who have DACA, TPS or who came to the country before November 1, 2015 and otherwise meet the DACA eligibility criteria.
The new scholarship round includes a focus on New York City immigrant youth in their pursuit of a college education. TheDream.US partners with the 18 senior and community colleges of the City Colleges of New York (CUNY) (see a list here), each of which is dedicated to supporting the higher education needs of DREAMers. In thanks to generous NYC Donors including the Pershing Square Foundation and Robin Hood, TheDream.US awarded over 1,200 scholarships to NYC DREAMers and paid over $23M in awards.
According to Candy Marshall, president of TheDream.US: “We are honored to support highly motivated and determined DREAMers in NYC and across the Nation who are unable to afford a college education. We are buoyed by President-elect Biden’s commitments to reinstate DACA and pursue legislation that will provide DREAMers with a path to citizenship that will enable them to fully contribute to our shared country. Until this happens, immigrant youth in New York City will continue to need our support. With the opening of our 2021-22 Scholarship round, we are grateful for partnership with CUNY and its commitment to help NYC DREAMers have the opportunity to pursue their dream of a college education and a meaningful career.”
“CUNY’s commitment to New York’s immigrant communities is deeply rooted in its historic mission and is strengthened through its partnership with TheDream.US, which has provided educational pathways for hundreds of CUNY’s DREAMers to pursue their goals,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “We thank TheDream.US for serving as a driver of social mobility for these students who continue to work on the front lines in the battle against COVID-19 to keep us safe. DREAMers are strivers, and their ambition and determination elevate our campuses and make our city, state and country a better place for all.”
According to Angelita M., a first year TheDream.US Scholar attending Hunter College, “I am a first-generation immigrant and an aspiring Biophysicist. TheDream.US has helped me visualize myself as a capable and qualified girl. Applying to college was quite rough to say the least, for most resources that were designed to make higher education attainable were simply denied to me because of my status, regardless of the fact that I have lived in the U.S. for my entire middle and high school career. TheDream.US believed in me and my aspirations. Today, I am enrolled in college, without any financial stressors or frets that can impact my academic performance, all because they gave me a chance. For this I will forever be grateful.”
For more information on eligibility and how to apply for a TheDream.US scholarship, visit https://www.thedream.us/scholarships/national-scholarship/
About TheDream.US
- TheDream.US is the nation’s largest college access and success program for immigrant youth, having provided more than 6,500 college scholarships to DREAMers at more than 70 partner colleges in 16 states and Washington, DC. We believe that all young Americans, regardless of where they were born, should have the opportunity to get a college education and pursue a meaningful career that contributes to our country’s prosperity.
- Read the September 2020 “In Their Own Words” survey report from TheDream.US detailing how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of 2,681 Scholars attending Partner Colleges in 17 states and Washington, DC. The survey found that while DREAMers and their families’ economic and health security have been greatly diminished by the pandemic and the uncertainty surrounding the future of DACA, DREAMers remain focused on completing college, giving back to their communities, and ambitiously pursuing their post-college goals.