Golden Door Scholars Expands Program To 50 Scholarships For Undocumented Students

By Megan (Weyrauch) Johnson on October 5, 2015

Dreamers are students who came to the United States with their parents as young children and are legally protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The majority of these students and their families live in states where they aren’t afforded in-state tuition rates for post-secondary education, making college financially out of reach.

Founded in 2012, Golden Door Scholars–a 501c3 organization that creates economic mobility for high performing, highly motivated undocumented students–provides scholarships, mentorships and professional development opportunities to these students.

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In addition to scholarship funding, Golden Door Scholars focuses on career preparedness by pairing each student with a mentor and offering professional development opportunities. Scholarship recipients also commit to “pay it forward” by helping fund scholarships after they graduate.

Golden Door Scholars (GDS) recently announced plans to expand the program exponentially by awarding up to 50 scholarships for the 2016-2017 academic year, according to this press release.

“We’ve been incredibly impressed by our 45 scholars, who are currently excelling at some of the nation’s top universities,” said Ric Elias, Golden Doors Scholars Founder and CEO of Red Ventures. “Their success has emboldened us to double down on our efforts and help even more of the exceptionally talented young people being left behind by existing policies and bureaucracy. This isn’t a political issue; it’s a human rights issue.”

And, though previously focusing on students from North and South Carolina, GDS will now accept applications from all 27 states that still have tuition inequity.

Davidson College and Wake Forest University are among the institutions that currently partner with the Golden Door Scholars Team and Oberlin College has signed on as a partner for the upcoming academic year.

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“There’s a common misconception that a large number of private scholarships are available to undocumented students, which make up for a lack of federal aid and in-state tuition,” said Debra J. Chermonte, Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Oberlin College. “The reality is that very few scholarships of any kind are open to undocumented students, and only a handful help Dreamers. We are proud to partner with Golden Door Scholars in the fight for equal access to higher education for all students.”

For students expecting to start college in fall of 2016, the application deadline is October 27. Check out eligibility requirements and application guidelines at GoldenDoorScholars.org.

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