OHIO — One organization is expanding its efforts and encouraging immigrant youth to pursue their college dreams. This, as concerns over what's to come surrounding immigration policies with the next administration looms. 

What You Need To Know

  • The Dream.US is the nation's largest College Access and Success program for immigrant youth, including those not covered by DACA or Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
  • The organization provides full-rides through its Opportunity Scholarship
  • Officials say they wanted to bridge the financial gap in states like Ohio, where only DACA recipients are eligible for in-state tuition or minimal other financial aid to access college

“These are undocumented young adults who came to this country at a very young age, and we provide scholarships for students in Ohio” to attend one of the online partner colleges, said Hyein Lee, chief operating officer at The Dream.US.

Or, they have an opportunity through the Opportunity Scholarship to go to college out of state, which covers all tuition and fees, along with housing and meals.  

While President-elect Donald Trump indicated recently that he would look for ways to help Dreamers, Lee said there’s cause for concern because “we saw this happen in 2016 where undocumented students retreated back into the shadows because of the fear and because of the political climate.”

This is why The Dream.US also provides other wrap-around support and resources “to address questions around their immigration status, what to do after college and then the long term, any type of adjustment of status or pathways,” Lee said.

Ultimately, Lee said it’s important for undocumented Dreamers to pursue their higher education dreams which can open more doors of opportunity in their career fields, which is why they’ve expanded their efforts.