Fear is a perfectly valid response to the recent immigration raids across the country, especially in light of all the trauma that undocumented folks have had to endure to survive in this country. As is power. Our community is one of great resilience. They’ve survived days and sometimes weeks’ journeys through mountains and deserts. They’ve navigated a life of legal limbo and bureaucratic hurdles with very limited cultural capital. They’ve built a home, with little to no resources, on a shoreline that daily threatens to wipe everything away. They stand firm against the tides of xenophobia, of racism, of institutional violence, of cultural erasure, and of everything that stands to question their humanity and their right to be and thrive in this country.
For this reason, undocumented high school students must not let fear demoralize our urge to keep pushing. College is very much possible and no matter how much financial aid is available or whether DACA is there or not, as our ancestors have taught us, our dreams have never been limited by the resources immediately available to us.
Below are a few resources in place to support undocumented high school students through this journey:
Extensive list of scholarships that don’t require proof of residency or citizenship:
http://www.e4fc.org/images/E4FC_Undergraduate_Traditional_List_2016-2017.pdf