ADELANTE

We reached our goal of $750 in one day! Thank you, thank you! To all who donated, supported, and shared our page on social media. We are advancing on our goal of $15,000 by increasing phase 1 to $2,000. Donations will go towards other crucial parts of the program. Stay tuned!! #Adelante

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ADELANTE: Bringing Forward the Voices of Undocumented Students

I arrived to this country from El Salvador. I was 13 years old knowing not a word of English. It was only after commanding this language I realized that fulfilling my dream of attending college would be a monumental task. I was an undocumented immigrant and under U.S. law I was considered “illegal”.

While in high school in Liberty, NY, I remember my classmates getting ready to apply to college as I wondered if this was even a possibility. Throughout my life, being an undocumented student was scary, but what terrified me the most was the uncertainty of my future. Luckily, I had a great support system; my high school guidance counselor and a non-profit organization called Rural & Migrant Ministry (RMM), which laid the foundation for my professional success. This past year in 2014, I applied for Special Immigration Juvenile Status and was granted a U.S. Green Card, which converted my status from an undocumented individual to a legal Permanent Resident.

I will be graduating this May in 2016, from Stony Brook University with a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Sociology and a minor in Political Science. Throughout my time at Stony Brook, I involved myself as a social activist and community organizer. I coordinated campaigns, mobilized rallies, and designed workshops to give a voice to the voiceless, particularly for undocumented students and farmworkers. Throughout my journey I realized there remained a large number of undocumented students who faced the same issues I faced in high school.

This realization inspired me to create a seven-day summer program for undocumented students in the Hudson Valley.

Undocumented students often do not have access, ample resources, and adequate knowledge about academic opportunities in higher education. Colleges throughout the country are equally not equipped to reach the undocumented student population.

ADELANTE will enable rising sophomore and junior high school students with resources to higher education by providing them with a safe space to ask and answer questions about the college process as it relates to their undocumented status.

The program will inform undocumented high school students about educational opportunities by implementing a series of workshops, panel discussions, and college tours within the Hudson Valley. It will expose undocumented students to opportunities available to them under U.S. law in turn empowering them with the necessary knowledge to apply to college. Our program will host informative presentations on how to get into college including a discussion on financial avenues to pay tuition and a breakdown of the the difference between public and private institutions.

Providing undocumented youth with information, resources, and connections regarding the college process achieves our ultimate goal of empowering adolescents to become self-advocating college students.

To make this seven-day summer program a reality, I’ve submitted a written proposal to a private boarding school in Poughkeepsie, NY called Oakwood Friends School (OFS). The OFS campus has decided to support my endeavor and recently approved our proposal to host this summer program in June 2016.

In order to implement this program successfully, I must raise between $15,000- $20,000 before June 26th, 2016.  Please help us get closer to our ultimate goal. Donations of $10, $20, and even $5 will make all the difference. No matter how much you give, every little bit counts!

Thank you in advance and stay tuned for more updates. ADELANTE!

Gabriela Quintanilla <3




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Sponsors & Supporters:

Rural & Migrant Ministry
Oakwood Friends School (OFS)

Future Facilitators:

The Youth Arts Group (YAG) is a multicultural group of high school students from the Hudson Valley who come together with the determination to create change in their lives and communities. YAG is dedicated to the task of influencing other youth to join in their mission to create political, economic and social changes. YAG is Currently show screening their short documentary “Dreamers Among US”.

The Youth Economic Group (YEG) is an innovative group of high school students dedicated to fighting for economic justice for all. YEG seeks to create a new model of economic opportunity for young people in the Catskills by building a youth-led Cooperative business, and raising awareness of issues of economic injustice that affect their communities.

Katia Chapman joined RMM in 2012 after graduating from Vassar College with a BA in Latin American/ Latino Studies and Education. Besides several internships with RMM, she has also worked on community projects in Poughkeepsie including the Initiative for Immigrant Health, and Let’s Get Ready, a free college preparation course. She currently directs RMMs College Prep Program.  Katia believes that no youth should be denied their dreams on the basis of class, gender, race, citizenship, or any other factor. She works for RMM in order to live into this belief.

Sini Stephan is an inspired young woman determined to empower global youth through education. A first generation Indian-American, Sini works to advance the movement of social justice at the grassroots level by catalyzing constructive dialog among groups of young women and communities of color. She holds a Bachelor's in International Affairs from Seton Hall University and a Master's in Journalism from the University of Missouri. Sini is also a passionate musician, writer, and public speaker - her works can be found online and on her youtube channel.