DARE TO DREAM:
College Track’s Promise to Student DREAMers
College Track was founded in 1997 with the belief that every student has the potential to change the world, regardless of their immigration status. We know that students possess an enormous amount of talent, but too many lack the opportunity to unleash it. For DREAMers, options are even more limited. Today, DREAMers make up a significant population of high school and college students, yet they don’t have access to the same academic, financial, and social-emotional support as their documented peers. We make a commitment to support every aspect of a DREAMers’ journey to and through college. Equipped with a four-year college degree, they return to their families and communities as a role model for generations to come. They prove that with hard work and perseverance comes a more just and equitable world; a world where no students’ status defines their future.
TODAY, WE HAVE INCREASED DREAMER SERVICES TO SUPPORT UNDOCUMENTED STUDENTS AT THIS CRITICAL TIME FOR THE IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY.
SERVICES AND RESOURCES FOR COLLEGE TRACK DREAMers
Immigration Services:
• Assistance with DACA renewal fees (currently $495)
• Legal assistance to renew DACA application, apply for asylum, U Visa, SIJS, TPS, adjustment of status
• Free immigration screenings to explore legal immigration pathways
• Legal aid for urgent matters and referrals for family members to access free or low-cost legal services
Scholarship Opportunities:
• Support seeking external scholarships that do not require a social security number or permanent residency status
• Access to College Track’s need- and merit-based scholarships to help meet financial aid gaps
• Assistance to apply or renew DREAMer scholarships
Consistent Communication:
• A dedicated DREAMer Coordinator to advise on education decisions, legal resources and scholarships, and coodinates other services as needed
• A monthly newsletter with updates and resources including available financial aid and scholarships, career webinars, job openings, local events, ways for DREAMers to take action
• The chance to share your story with the broader College Track community, through marketing collateral, event remarks, and video content
Fellowship Program:
• Personalized application support for College Track students interested in UCLA’s Labor center summer fellowship, an opportunity open to undocumented youth across the country
Connections to Partners in this Work:
• Immigrants Rising
• Immigrants Resource Center
• United We Dream
• Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund
• My Undocumented Life
• The American Civil Liberties Union
• National Immigration Law Center
• U-Lead Network
MEET STACY , College Track DREAMer
My family migrated to the United States from Durango, Mexico two weeks before Christmas and two weeks after my mom turned 21. There I was, three years old, boarding a plane to go to a place that would “give me a better life.”
Fast forward to high school, and my classmates are applying for internships that would beef up their college applications. I, however, could not apply without receiving this familiar rejection; “these paid internships are for U.S citizens only.” Despite all my hard work, my opportunities were limited by my legal status.
The moment I set foot into College Track, they flew me to San Francisco for a student DREAMer event to learn more about our legal status and how
to own our stories as immigrants. For the first time since moving to America, I felt empowered and unstoppable. College Track gave me the support and confidence to know I have a voice, that it’s a powerful and brave act to share my story and fight for my right to a college education. I finished high school with a renewed pride for my language, my culture, and my identity -- instead of resentment for it.
I am the first in my family to graduate high school and plan to be the first in my family to earn a four-year degree. Knowing that the sacrifice my mom has made and continues to make will not be in vain, and knowing that I will work hard to earn my college degree, makes me whole, makes me proud, makes me strong. My future is bright.
OUR GOALS FOR DREAMers:
• Have access to important immigration resources and legal counsel to manage their immigration status
• Attend a Best-Fit College with on-campus specific resources for first-generation and undocumented students
• Graduate with a four-year degree
• Serve as role models for their families and communities
• Leverage their voices to change the narrative around DREAMers
Making Dreams a Reality: Our 2017-18 School Year
250+ served
$125K awarded in scholarships from College Track partners
60 high school students accessed our Immigration Legal Intake Service
7 community events celebrating the accomplishments of our DREAMers
75 DACA renewals
CONTACT US
Darwin Velasquez, National DREAMer Coordinator
dvelasquez@collegetrack.org
Cell: 415.716.0618
Office: 510.834.3295 ext. 116
ABOUT COLLEGE TRACK
College Track is a comprehensive college completion program that empowers students from underserved communities to graduate from college. From ninth grade through college graduation, our 10-year program removes the academic, financial, and socio-emotional barriers that prevent low-income and firstgeneration students from earning their college degree. In 1997, we started with 25 students in East Palo Alto, and today, we have nine centers located in underserved communities across California, Colorado, Louisiana, and the D.C. Metro Area, with more than 3,000 students on the path to upward social mobility.
