“I feel grateful that I am part of a program that will support me emotionally and economically throughout my four years as an undergraduate.”

My name is Francisco Barros. I was born in Cuenca, Ecuador and came to New York City when I was only two years old in March 1999. I am currently in my second semester at the Macaulay Honors College at The City College of New York with an intended major in Computer Engineering and a minor in Mathematics. This past December, I received TheDream.US Scholarship and have benefitted greatly from it.

Growing up as an immigrant has been very difficult at times. My parents have had to work very hard so that my little sister and I could dedicate ourselves to study full time. My father works as a construction worker and has always put food on the table even when he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Thankfully, he was able to have his thyroid extracted and does not have cancer anymore. My mother has always stayed at home to raise my sister and me. All the sacrifices made by my parents have encouraged me to do my best in everything.

When President Obama issued the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in 2012, I was extremely happy because it meant I would be able to work in this country without a problem. However, I also learned that obtaining a collegial education is very important. I was lucky to have a knowledgeable college advisor who advised me to apply to the Macaulay Honors Program, which would allow me to continue with my studies without worrying about financial burdens.

I am currently a Bulletin Editor at my parish, Saints Peter and Paul, as well as a Co-Responsible of a Neocatecumenal Community in the parish. I also love to do volunteer work, which is why I joined CityServ, a volunteer organization on campus. During my free time, I also go back to my former elementary school and assist the staff with clerical work. It has been challenging to balance academic and extracurricular activities but I have fun doing it.

Thanks to TheDream.US program I have been able to cover many college related costs and expenses. I feel grateful that I am part of a program that will support me emotionally and economically throughout my four years as an undergraduate. I am sure that there are many more challenges that lie ahead but I am fortunate enough to have a community that will help me get through difficult times. I highly recommend all DREAMers to apply for TheDream.US scholarship. It is a great opportunity.

Wishing you the best,

Francisco Barros
Macaulay Honors Scholar at The City College of New York

TheDream.US Scholarship Recipient

“The Dream.US Scholarship gave me more than financial stability; they gave me hope in this country and myself. “

In 2001, my mother, brother and I were on our way to the Bronx, New York. We arrived safe, excited, nervous and overdressed. We remember it being a typical scorching summer day in New York. The air felt thick, hot and sticky, nothing in comparison to the summers back home. Our journey to our new home in The Bronx had us in awe. The buildings, the people, the smells and the streets were all so different from Bolivia. We were excited to live the “American” lifestyle and be part of this country.

As I grew up, I encountered many obstacles that led me to believe I had no place, no purpose or talent. In school, my teachers would always forget my name and my classmates didn’t really want to befriend me. I remember trying really hard to stand out and be friendly, but rejection followed me like a shadow. At home, I didn’t receive the support or acknowledgment a child craves. My parents worked hard to support my brother and me, but they were almost never home. For most of my childhood to teenage years, I have been alone in terms of emotional support. It was difficult to grow up knowing your triumphs will be ignored, your voice unheard and your presence forgotten.

After graduating High School, I felt as if my life was going down the drain. I didn’t have any hope for my future let alone a reason to even try to move forward. I blamed my parents for my legal problems and buried myself in a dark hole of sadness and hopelessness. Gradually, I climbed out that hole and began to notice my interest in food. I decided my purpose is to help people understand that food is not our enemy but an ally to our health. After my epiphany, I received my DACA results. I said to myself “This was a sign, I know it” and so I took it. I saved all of my paychecks and enrolled in York College.

During my first semester I received notice of a scholarship for DACA eligible students. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me, so I applied. In December of 2014, I received the email stating, “You have been selected to receive TheDream.US Scholarship.” Me! The girl everyone ignores. My heart dropped, my throat knotted, and I burst into tears. Finally, someone believes in me. I have not been forgotten and my voice has been heard. The Dream.US Scholarship gave me more than financial stability; they gave me hope in this country and myself. I am filled with gratitude to be given the opportunity of accomplishing my dreams.

Tatiana Borda
York College

The Dream.US Recipient

“I was excited to receive TheDream.US scholarship; the stress that comes from tuition payment deadlines has been alleviated.”

My name is Hilda Lema, and I am a student at LaGuardia Community College. I was excited to receive TheDream.US scholarship; the stress that comes from tuition payment deadlines has been alleviated. I am now able to focus more on my writing and my family. I plan to be an elementary school teacher. I want to be a professional and an example for my three-year-old daughter. My commitment to volunteer work and church are only a few of the things that keep me motivated to be a role model. This scholarship will help you achieve your dreams.

Hilda Lema
LaGuardia Community College

TheDream.US Recipient

“TheDream.US Scholarship has given me the comfort of knowing that there are many people, in my school and throughout the country, who care about my future and are invested in my success.”

At the age of four my brother and I came to the United States to join my parents, who had arrived about two years prior. I don’t recall much about my journey aside from eating tuna fish with crackers under a tent in the middle of the desert. My family was reunited and we settled in Brooklyn, New York. At five I started public school, where it was hard for me to make friends because of my developing English language skills. I eventually went on to middle school and then FDR High School. While at high school I was able to make friends and meet many great teachers who until this day continue to help me. However, as I approached graduation I realized there was one important thing that separated me from all my friends: as a childhood arrival from a foreign country I was undocumented, and thus ineligible for Financial Aid to attend college. One night I sat with my father and cried. I told him that I was upset that college would have to remain a dream. On that same night he told me that he would find a way to pay for me to start taking some classes. I enrolled at Kingsborough for two classes, and became the very first person in my family to ever go to college.

During that first semester my father had a hard time paying for both bills and my college tuition. While on campus I got the chance to meet great people who were eager to help me achieve my dreams. Kingsborough’s New Americans Center attorney, Therese McNulty, helped me apply for DACA status, and within three months I was finally able to work. It hurt me to see my father struggle, and for months I tried hard to get a job. One day I went to Kingsborough’s Honors office and spoke with Jane Birzin, an Honors counselor. I told her that this would be my last semester until I was able to save up enough money to come back again. She introduced me to TheDream.US scholarship, and sent me to Robert Schacter, the scholarship’s Faculty Representative on campus. He helped me every step of the way until the day that I was APPROVED! Since then this scholarship has helped me in a number of ways: I started to attend Kingsborough full time, and my parents were able to provide for our family without worrying about choosing between my education and paying our bills. The scholarship has not just helped me financially, but it has also made me feel like I am part of a community of students whose dreams are being realized. TheDream.US Scholarship has given me the comfort of knowing that there are many people, in my school and throughout the country, who care about my future and are invested in my success.

Manuel Luna
Kingsborough Community College

TheDream.US Recipient

“My message to prospective applicants for the scholarship is that you shouldn’t be afraid. Sometimes we are afraid of talking about our status. But I’ve learned that if you don’t let people know, they can’t help you.”

I am 26 years old. I moved from the Dominican Republic when I was 14 years old. After graduating from high school, I spent 8 years of my life underground. I had been a really good student, but I didn’t have the financial support to attend college. My pursuit of success had come to a screeching halt. I couldn’t even use a scholarship I’d been offered because I didn’t have a Green Card.

I started working, being a waitress and babysitting. However, I always knew I wanted to go back to school. The years were going by and things just weren’t happening for me. As soon as Obama announced DACA, I applied.

Immediately I enrolled at Bronx Community College. I had to make a loan to pay the first semester. I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to continue – I didn’t have the money to pay for more tuition. One day BCC’s director of scholarships told me about TheDream.US and asked me if I was interested. I said, “Of course!”

It’s such a relief that I don’t have to worry about money for tuition. Now I am in school, focusing on my classes. My GPA is 4.0. I am studying liberal arts and I want to be a college professor.

My message to prospective applicants for the scholarship is that you shouldn’t be afraid. Sometimes we are afraid of talking about our status. But I’ve learned that if you don’t let people know, they can’t help you. TheDream.US is not trying to get us – this is a group of people trying to help undocumented students who don’t have access to financial aid. You’ve got to take all of the help you can get, because as we know the help available to undocumented students is limited.

Kirssy Martinez
Bronx Community College

TheDream.US Recipient

” TheDream.US is offering very real support. Apply for the scholarship now, and if you’re not eligible spread the word to your friends and networks. That’s what I’m trying to do.”

Earlier this year I received a college scholarship from TheDream.US. Right now I am a student at BMCC in my second semester. It’s a challenge to balance working (I’m a peer mentor at BMCC) and going to school!

If you are an undocumented student who is DACA eligible and who meets the scholarship requirements, you have to apply for this scholarship. When I first heard about it from Student Affairs at BMCC, it sounded too good to be true. It was hard for me to believe that TheDream.US would pay for me to go to college. After high school, I had worked for three years with my mother cleaning houses to save money to pay for college. Suddenly I had a scholarship that would cover my expenses.

I’m originally from Mexico, and I came to the United States when I was five years old. I crossed with my mother and my baby sister – even though my sister had been born in the United States a couple of years earlier, my mother brought her back to Mexico so that we could cross together, as a family, and so that my sister and I could share the experience along with some of the suffering that would come after. For me, the separation from the rest of my family was really tough. My grandmother in Mexico had raised me.

For those of you who might be eligible for the scholarship, even though it sounds too good to be true, you have to have faith in what TheDream.US is trying to do for you. This has been a great experience for me. In January I went to Washington D.C., when they launched the scholarship. It was a big media event, where I met Donald Graham, who started TheDream.US. He was really nice and enthusiastic. I owe him an email now because he’ll want to know that I got into Phi Beta Kappa at BMCC! I was also interviewed by CBS News this year!

There are so many challenges, but with the help of others you can overcome them. TheDream.US is offering very real support. Apply for the scholarship now, and if you’re not eligible spread the word to your friends and networks. That’s what I’m trying to do. That’s why I’m telling my story.

Good luck!

Araceli Mendez
Borough of Manhattan Community College

TheDream.US Recipient

“… my dream is to become an elementary school teacher. This dream seems feasible now with TheDream.US scholarship.”

My name is Karla Oropeza. I am a student at LaGuardia Community College, and my dream is to become an elementary school teacher. This dream seems feasible now with TheDream.US scholarship. I hope to one day earn my Master’s degree in Education to become a Principal. I want to help children who recently arrived in the U.S. to assimilate and make a happy transition. My family has endured financial strain to help me pay for tuition, and I have sometimes struggled to learn new concepts in my classes. I have overcome much of my shyness presenting in front of others and feel confident that I will conduct a classroom of my own one day. This scholarship is an amazing opportunity, and remember that the application process is a process that is helping you for your future.

Karla Oropeza
LaGuardia Community College

TheDream.US Recipient

“TheDream.US has allowed me to strive for a more ambitious career path, without the fear of being in debt.”

I am currently in my second semester at Macaulay Honors at Lehman College with an intended major in Biochemistry. This past December, I received the TheDream.US Scholarship and have greatly benefited from it.

Born in Bahrain to Indian parents, my family and I flew to New York City as immigrants in March of 1999. Growing up as an immigrant was not easy. My family struggled to survive on such a low income. My father worked as a manager of a souvenir store, while my mother stayed at home raising my brother and me. As a child, I knew that things were difficult, but I never fully understood what it was like for us all until I realized that I was undocumented.

Thankfully, President Obama issued the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) executive action, allowing me to work legally without the fear of being deported. For the first time, I felt like I could better understand some of the sacrifices my father made by his dedicated efforts, and I realized that I wanted to help. I decided that if I started contributing to the family income, maybe he would not have to work as hard. When I asked my father what I could do to help make his work burden maybe just a bit lighter, he explained to me that my job in the family was to study hard and get into college. From that day on, I vowed to be more active in school so that I could strengthen my path to further my education.

Fortunately, I was able to earn a job as a receptionist and volunteer as a first grade catechist teacher every Tuesday at my local parish. I also run the Humans of Macaulay club, in which we conduct interviews every Friday, reflecting the style of Humans of New York. It has been a challenge balancing both school work and extracurriculars, but I enjoy every moment of what I do.

My father instilled in me a drive to work hard and persevere, and I want nothing more than to achieve in college, work towards a successful career, and in turn help to support my family someday, especially my father’s retirement.

Thanks to TheDream.US, they have assisted me both financially and mentally. TheDream.US has allowed me to strive for a more ambitious career path, without the fear of being in debt. There are so many more challenges I have yet to face, but I know that with the support of TheDream.US, I will be able to overcome them. I strongly encourage any eligible Dreamer to apply for this scholarship, you will not regret it! This is a great opportunity and every Dreamer should be a part of it.

All the best,

Mitasha Palha
Macaulay Honors College at Lehman College

TheDream.US Recepient