TheDream.US is an organization you should know about, if you don’t already. It’s the nation’s largest college access and success program for DREAMers. We all believe that all DREAMers need is an opportunity. TheDream.US provides dreamers with financial support to attend one of their Partner Colleges, committed to their college completion.
As you can imagine, not every University rushes to partner with them, unfortunately. Well, they just announced a new partnership with Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia to provide scholarships to qualified DREAMers. The new partnership with Oglethorpe, a co-educational small private college, is the first TheDream.US partnership with a Georgia college or university as well as the first with any institution in a “locked out” state, where DREAMers cannot get in-state tuition or state financial aid.
“I moved from the Dominican Republic when I was 14 years old. After graduating from high school, I spent eight years of my life underground. I had been a really good student, but I didn’t have the financial support to attend college…
Now I am in school. My GPA is 4.0. I want to (one day) be a college professor…
My message to prospective applicants for the scholarship is that you shouldn’t be afraid. TheDream.US is a group of people trying to help undocumented students who don’t have access to financial aid.”
Kirssy Martinez
Valedictorian, Bronx Community College
Scholar, City College of New York
TheDREAM.US Scholarship Recipient
According to Candy Marshall, President of TheDream.US, “We are excited to announce our new partnership with Oglethorpe University. Our existing group of Scholars from Georgia, who are attending out-of-state colleges via our Opportunity Scholarship, have compiled a strong track record both in and out of the classroom. However, we also have seen the need and importance of providing qualified Georgia DREAMers with a college option within the state. Many of these students simply do not have the option to move away from their families and communities to pursue higher education. We thank Oglethorpe University President Lawrence Schall and his dedicated team for the opportunity to forge a new model for helping DREAMers in Georgia and other ‘locked out’ states access an education and fulfill their potential.”
As of Fall 2018, there were 185 TheDream.US Scholars from Georgia who either attend college out-of-state or study via an online program. These Georgia Scholars’ impressive college record includes:
A 93 percent overall persistence rate, including 95 percent of Scholars who have continued their studies after completing their first year
An average cumulative GPA of 3.4
Nearly half, 48 percent, who are majoring in a STEM fieldTheDream.US is the nation’s largest college access and success program for immigrant youth, having provided more than 4,000 scholarships to students with DACA and TPS at more than 75 partner colleges in 15 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 prosperity of the country that they call home.
TheDream.US current scholarship application deadline for National Scholarships is February 28, 2019. To access eligibility and application information about TheDream.US scholarships visit here.
Want to feel inspired? Read through TheDream.US Scholar story-bank, featuring powerful personal reflections from Scholars about their lives, journeys, and future goals here.