For Immediate Release: October 4, 2023
Contact: Michael Earls at [email protected]
TheDream.US Announces Transition of Its President Candy Marshall into Senior Advisor Role
Washington, DC – TheDream.US, the nation’s largest college and career success program for undocumented immigrant students, announced today that Candy Marshall, president of the organization throughout its ten years of existence, will transition to the role of Senior Advisor on November 1.
Ms. Marshall with her colleague, Gaby Pacheco, and co-founders Don Graham, Henry Munoz and Carlos Gutierrez, announced the formation of TheDream.US in February 2014. Their aim was to make college affordable for “Dreamers” – undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children and graduated from U.S. K-12 schools, but whose immigration status denied them access to Pell grants, federal student loans, and other aid to support their higher education journeys. An early announced goal of TheDream.US was to see 2,000 Dreamers through to graduation. After 10 years of operation and under the tenure of Ms. Marshall, more than 3,200 TheDream.US Scholars have graduated college and more than 4,000 additional students are currently enrolled in one of the 80-plus Partner Colleges of TheDream.US.
“Ten years ago, we embarked on a journey to support undocumented students’ dreams of higher education. Though the political landscape has shifted since then, and Dreamers’ status as permanent citizens remains an unfulfilled promise, TheDream.US’s commitment to our Scholars’ college and career success remains unwavering,” said Candy Marshall, TheDream.US President for the past decade. “I am particularly proud to see how many of our former Scholars are now working as nurses and in other healthcare fields, to know that many are teachers, helping inspire the younger generation, while still others are entrepreneurs, Fortune 500 employees, or essential workers in other critical jobs. As we transition leadership, I am confident that our impact will only grow, helping ensure that even more college and career dreams will continue to flourish.”
“Candy Marshall is a hero,” said Don Graham, co-founder of TheDream.US. “She helped build TheDream.US into an organization that has sent 10,000 students to college, working with more than 80 partner colleges in 24 states across the nation. Of those Scholars who went to four-year colleges, more than 75% have graduated. Candy’s success started with the great team she put together. This small but mighty team has supported Scholars when they needed help and let many Dreamers know they had hope when they feared there was none.”
“TheDream.US is as focused and resilient as the students that it serves due in large part to the leadership of Candy Marshall,” said Donna Carroll, executive director, Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities. “Her organizational savvy, charm, and passion for student success built confidence in the enterprise. She has been a great partner to the two TheDream.US partner colleges that I led and to many others.”
Marshall, a Nebraska native and a lawyer, came to TheDream.US after eight years at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, starting as the foundation’s chief human resources officer before becoming a senior manager in the foundation’s Global Health Program. She is also involved in many Pacific Northwest philanthropies.
TheDream.US, which will celebrate its 10th Anniversary in February 2024, will open its newest scholarship round for potential Dreamer applicants on November 1, 2023.
About TheDream.US
TheDream.US is the nation’s largest college and career success program for undocumented immigrant students, having provided more than 10,000 college scholarships to Dreamers attending over 80 partner colleges in 21 states and Washington, DC. We believe everyone, regardless of where they were born, should have equitable access to a college education, a meaningful career, and opportunities to contribute to the communities they call home. For more information on TheDream.US, visit www.thedream.us
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