Maintaining High Expectations:Scholarships and other opportunities

for Undocumented studentsJordan Mazariegos – College Student at TCC

Christina Starzl – Conexiones CoordinatorLindsay White, M.A. – Manager Education Outreach Center, TCC

Jordan Mazariegos

• Survival • Circumstances out of

the student’s control• Brought over by family

members seeking a better life

• Overstay of a Visa• Legal error in

paperwork

Undocumented: lacking necessary documents, as for e.g. permission to live or work in a country

Addressing the Daunting Barriers

• Each year, U.S. high schools graduate an estimated 65,000 undocumented students, of whom only 5 percent ever attend college. (Passel, 2003)

• For most undocumented immigrants, the major barriers to postsecondary access are both financial and legal

Addressing the Daunting Barriers

• First generation going to college• Cannot qualify for federal aid• Needing to support family • Ability to continue career after

graduating from college/tech school

How a teacher expectations can make a student a successful DREAMER

Brophy and Good in 1987 found that teachers may unconsciously send different messages to low achievers than to high achievers. For sustaining expectations to occur, it is only necessary that teachers engage in behaviors that maintain students' and teachers' previously formed low expectations (e.g., by giving low-expectation students only drill work, easy questions, etc.) (p. 34, Brophy and Good 1987).

Creating a safe space for Dreamers

Don’t ask undocumented students to self–identify

Be mindful of language used within classroom; say “undocumented” rather than “illegal”

Keep a balance of resources that can be available for all students

Create student certificates using the students’ full correct names with exact dates

Establish a climate of trust that allows the student to reveal their situation at their own pace by following these practices:

Creating a safe space for Dreamers

Have posters that reflect solidarity and support for diversity, similar to California’s AB540 Ally program

How you react to their disclosure is critical • The more positively the person receives the

information, the more comfortable he or she will make the student.

• Assure them of confidentiality• Do not try to “fix” everything without knowing

what could jeopardize a student’s immigration status, provide referrals and follow up with student

When a Dreamer discloses their status…..

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals

Local Resources for ImmigrantsYWCA Immigrant and Refugee Center 8175 East 17th Street Tulsa OK918-663-0377

Catholic Charities 2450 N Harvard Ave Tulsa, OK 74115(918) 949-4673

Boesche Legal Clinic ,The University of Tulsa407 S. Florence Ave. Tulsa, OK 74104918-631-5799

National Scholarship Resources for Undocumented Students

• Private scholarships on Fastweb.com• Golden Door Scholars • “Like” DEEP (Dream Educational Empowerment Program)

on Facebook for updates and applicable scholarships• Educators for Fair Education (E4FC) Life after College: A Guid

e for Undocumented Students

Opportunities in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Lindsay White, M.A. Manager Education Outreach Center, TCC