Tonight I'm so thankful for the passage of the Minnesota DREAM Act! While we have work to do nationally, this will mean that all students with Minnesota residency, regardless of documentation status, can get in-state tuition at public colleges and universities! I work with a few DREAMers, and I am fortunate to do so. While many self-select into lower level classes and some need a little more nudging than others to stay on top of their schoolwork and make college possible in the first place, we are working to even the playing field. With many of these students coming from low-income families (economics being the major factor in having to leave their homelands), financial aid packages are a crucial determining factor in where, and if these students are able to pursue higher education and open doors to careers they dream of and can become qualified for. This is an affirmation that they are not at fault for what our laws see as their parents' "mistake" of coming/staying in this country without legal authorization, as well an investment in the health of our communities, the psyche of our young people, and future entrepreneurs, academics, dental hygienists, auto technicians, architects, neurosurgeons, etc.
For more information about the Minnesota DREAM Act, NAVIGATE MN is way on top of things: MN DREAM Act Will Become Law. We are hoping to have someone from NAVIGATE come do a presentation for TORCH kids and families sometime this summer to get a better sense of how this will affect them, especially as the legislation will come into effect on July 1st and could potentially be a good thing for our current graduates planning on starting school in the fall too!
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