DACA Student In Need Of College Tuition Assistance
Donation protected
Hello everyone. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to everyone! My name is Jordan and I am an aspiring chemical engineer major who was recently accepted to Prairie View A&M University to further my education after working the past 5 years. Prior to the time I was working I went to and graduated community college at Queensborough Community College from 2010 to 2013. I took time to start working the year I graduated to help to support myself. I am a Dreamer who has deferred action, meaning I can obtain a renewable license and social security card to work in the country legally. It has still been difficult for me though because what many people do not know is that I am not able to work federal jobs such as the post office or airport, or what you would think would help me earn more income. I also am not able to apply to enlist in the military to serve the country and show that I would be a good representative. These drawbacks have prevented me from having access to things that my peers have been able to fall back on.
Due to this I have tried my hardest more than ever this year to apply to numerous scholarships while hoping on the best. I have to try scholarships because one of the drawbacks of DACA is that I am not able to be accepted for government loans, even with private loans, I would need a citizen cosigner. In my search for colleges to attend, I was recently accepted by Prairie View A&M University, a storied HBCU in Prairie View, Texas and my first choice of where I wanted to attend. I enlisted in the chemical engineering program and have made plans if I am able to attend to sign up to programs like NSBE(National Society of Black Engineers) to connect me with various job offers or internships in the engineering field over the years as a potential student. Texas is a big industry for my major, in particular with the oil industry and would give me plenty of opportunities.
However the roadblocks I have is that as a NY resident, I was obviously accepted for out-of state tuition. This means I would have to pay $39,000 a year instead of the $24,000 that residents would pay.
http://www.pvamu.edu/faid/cost-of-attendance-2-2/
I am not eligible to apply for any federal financial aid because of my status because of current laws unless our government in the next week reaches a deal to pass and sign immigration reform. As of now only a handful of states provide tuition assistance to undocumented immigrants. New York where I am from is not one of those states and Texas where I want to attend Prairie View, is one of those states. However the Texas Dream Act only applies to those undocumented students who grew up there and went to school in the Texas school system from when they were younger.
The scholarships I have applied for range from $500 to $2000 and I have to hope for the best with those and hope I get at least one but that is too much uncertainty for me. I want to be able to go to back to college and get the education I need in order to be more successful than I am now. I have high ambitions that I want to bring to fruition. Having financial assistance would help me know that I do not have to stress when I'm supposed to be studying and know that I can pay for my tuition and have a room to sleep in.
To anyone who is reading this, I hope you see this as an investment in me. An investment in my education would mean the most to me, and I would pass on this investment given to me along with the knowledge to my community. Whatever you are able to contribute would be of great help. I am trying to raise most of the money by the first day of classes on January 14th. Thank you so much for reading this and Merry Christmas to everyone out there.
Due to this I have tried my hardest more than ever this year to apply to numerous scholarships while hoping on the best. I have to try scholarships because one of the drawbacks of DACA is that I am not able to be accepted for government loans, even with private loans, I would need a citizen cosigner. In my search for colleges to attend, I was recently accepted by Prairie View A&M University, a storied HBCU in Prairie View, Texas and my first choice of where I wanted to attend. I enlisted in the chemical engineering program and have made plans if I am able to attend to sign up to programs like NSBE(National Society of Black Engineers) to connect me with various job offers or internships in the engineering field over the years as a potential student. Texas is a big industry for my major, in particular with the oil industry and would give me plenty of opportunities.
However the roadblocks I have is that as a NY resident, I was obviously accepted for out-of state tuition. This means I would have to pay $39,000 a year instead of the $24,000 that residents would pay.
http://www.pvamu.edu/faid/cost-of-attendance-2-2/
I am not eligible to apply for any federal financial aid because of my status because of current laws unless our government in the next week reaches a deal to pass and sign immigration reform. As of now only a handful of states provide tuition assistance to undocumented immigrants. New York where I am from is not one of those states and Texas where I want to attend Prairie View, is one of those states. However the Texas Dream Act only applies to those undocumented students who grew up there and went to school in the Texas school system from when they were younger.
The scholarships I have applied for range from $500 to $2000 and I have to hope for the best with those and hope I get at least one but that is too much uncertainty for me. I want to be able to go to back to college and get the education I need in order to be more successful than I am now. I have high ambitions that I want to bring to fruition. Having financial assistance would help me know that I do not have to stress when I'm supposed to be studying and know that I can pay for my tuition and have a room to sleep in.
To anyone who is reading this, I hope you see this as an investment in me. An investment in my education would mean the most to me, and I would pass on this investment given to me along with the knowledge to my community. Whatever you are able to contribute would be of great help. I am trying to raise most of the money by the first day of classes on January 14th. Thank you so much for reading this and Merry Christmas to everyone out there.
Organizer
Jordan Johnson
Organizer
New York, NY
