DREAMER OF THE DAY CAMPAIGN SCHOLAR STORIES
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| Evil Donald J. Trump |
Washington, DC – TheDream.US, the nation’s largest college access and success program for undocumented immigrant youth, announced today that 100 of its Scholars are now featured in a story bank, featuring personal reflections about their lives, journeys, and future goals. Examples of these Scholar stories are found in the organization’s ongoing “DREAMer of the Day” campaign – a daily profile of a TheDream.US-affiliated Scholar whose story offers a powerful example why Congress passing legislation resolving the crisis facing DREAMers and TPS holders will be good for America. The Scholars’ stories are especially powerful and poignant as we arrived at March 5th, the deadline President Trump gave Congress to pass legislation for DREAMers after he announced the end of DACA.
TheDream.US, which has provided more than 3,000 scholarships to students with DACA and TPS at more than 75 partner colleges in 15 states and Washington, DC, believes that all young people, regardless of where they were born, should have the opportunity to fulfill their potential, gain an education, and fully participate in the country that they call home. To date, the organization has committed more than $103 million in scholarship money for DREAMers.
According to Gaby Pacheco, Director of Advocacy, Development, and Communications at TheDream.US, “DREAMers have grown up in America and have the talents, skills, and energy to move our communities and country forward. Each Scholar story offers a powerful example of why Congress resolving the crisis facing DREAMers and TPS holders remains essential for the futures of both these remarkable young people as well as our country.”
The organization also today reiterated its support for Congress passing a law permanently resolving DREAMers’ status, despite the failure of several recent legislative votes in the U.S. Senate and the news that the Supreme Court declined to immediately take up a DACA-related case, meaning that several court-ordered injunctions that have reinstituted DACA renewal applications will remain in place for the time being.
Don Graham, Co-Founder of TheDream.US, stated, “President Trump gave a mandate to Congress to resolve this issue by March 5th. It is past March 5th and Congress has not acted. This isn’t just another legislative shortcoming. It is a massive act of cruelty against admirable young people whose lives are in limbo”
Candy Marshall, President of TheDream.US, added, “While we are pleased that the news from the courts mean that some of our current Scholars can continue to apply for DACA renewals, many future Scholars are unable to apply for DACA status as the court rulings do not allow for new applicants to the program. The developments from the judicial branch simply do not replace the need for Congress to pass legislation permanently resolving DREAMers’ status and provide a way forward that allows Scholars to fulfill their incredible potential.”
TheDream.US Scholars have thrived academically on their campuses, with National Scholars averaging a 3.2 GPA and Opportunity Scholars averaging a 3.56 GPA, compared to the 3.15 average GPA students achieve at public and private colleges across the country. Additionally, TheDream.US Scholars have demonstrated amazing persistence, with 94% of Scholars returning to their schools after their first year, compared to the 72% average rate of return after first year for students at all U.S. colleges and universities.
About TheDream.US Story Bank
The story bank features Scholars enrolled in schools in 15 states and Washington, DC: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Washington, DC.
Scholars in the story bank come from 19 home states and Washington, DC: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington, DC
Scholars in the story bank come from 18 different countries of origin: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Indonesia, Mali, Mexico, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.
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