Southern Connecticut State University and TheDream.US have announced a new partnership to provide scholarships for Connecticut immigrant youth to achieve their higher education dreams.
Now, when applying to Southern, these students will also be encouraged to apply for TheDream.US National Scholarship. The award is for tuition and fees of up to $33,000 total for a bachelor’s degree.
According to Joe Bertolino, SCSU president, the partnership marks a critical step in advancing Southern’s work toward becoming a social justice and antiracist university.
“The fundamental responsibility of a public education institution is to foster learning and personal growth while providing an inclusive, supportive environment for any student willing to put in the work to achieve their goals,” said Bertolino. “In this spirit, Southern admits students based on a holistic approach and provides open access, care and support to all DACA and undocumented students.”
The new partnership announcement comes after the recent opening of TheDream.US new Scholarship round for the 2023-2024 academic year, which started on November 1, 2022, and will run through the end of February 2023. Undocumented students who are about to graduate high school or earn a GED; current community college students; and current university students are all eligible to apply.
In addition to connecting students with aid, Southern will also provide scholarship recipients with consistent, ongoing support through a designated Scholar Advisor. The advisor will work with all levels of the university community to ensure emotional, lifestyle, and financial challenges that could impede degree achievement are systemically addressed.
“Since the future of the DACA program came under risk in 2016, we have made it clear we intend to protect access and enhance services for undocumented students at Southern,” said Tracy Tyree, vice president for student affairs. “With leadership from The Dreamers Action Alliance at Southern, we will continue to fight for students, families, friends, colleagues, and communities to ensure these students know they are welcome and supported by our university.”
“We are excited to partner with Southern in supporting Connecticut Dreamers in their college and career aspirations,” said Candy Marshall, president of TheDream.US. “Despite the many obstacles they face, these immigrant students continue to persevere and work hard to achieve their education and career goals. 93% of our 3,000+ graduates are now working or have started their own businesses. Their successes are proof that expanding Dreamers’ access to higher education and career opportunities is good for our country’s economic growth. We are grateful to Southern and our 80+ other Partner Colleges across the United States for giving our immigrant youth the opportunity to pursue a college education and contribute to the future of America.”
Students who don’t qualify under the new Dream.US scholarship may still be eligible for aid through a variety of programs, including the Southern-based Monarch Scholarship. For more information about services and aid opportunities, visit SouthernCT.edu/undocumented-students.
