Assisting Immigrant
Students and/or Children of
Immigrants
NCASFAA Conference
April 15, 2014
Donna Weaver
Spanish Services Manager
CFNC Spanish Services
Did you know?
CFNC.org …..
• Has provided free college and career planning resources for
North Carolina’s students since 2000
• Offers free professional development opportunities for educators,
and informative presentations for students, parents, and community
organizations
• Hosts a career planning hub customized with NC Data
College Foundation of North Carolina
Spanish Services: A Statewide Initiative
• Provide information and resources to Latino
students and their families
• Collaborate with NC schools to increase Latino
student success and cultivate opportunities for
family involvement
• Increase the number of Latino students who
enroll and succeed in post-secondary education
CFNC Spanish Services
Connecting Students to College
Wednesday Webinar Series at
CFNC.org
CFNC.org
Workshops for counselors,
educators and advocates
An endeavor to be more aware of
barriers to students’ access to college and success,
and to share tools and free resources from CFNC
and other non-profit organizations
CFNC Spanish Services
• Spanish-language, toll-free call center,
866-866-CFNC (option 3)
• Spanish-language email center,
espanol@cfncresources.org
• Spanish-language career and college
planning publications
CFNC.org
CFNC Spanish Services
• Spanish-language career and
college planning information at
CFNC.org
•
•
•
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CFNC.org
cfnc.org/collegeworks
cfnc.org/adelante
Plan for a Career
Financial Aid and Special Populations
CFNC Spanish Services
• Distribute college planning publications
through partner agencies and
non-profit organizations
• Share and exhibit CFNC information
and services at community, church
or school events
• Spanish-language workshops at
community, church or school events.
CFNC.org
Today’s Goals
• Explore common and uncommon
questions immigrant students and
their families encounter in the college
going process
• Share solutions and resources that
are available
• YOU are invited to share your
successes, questions, experiences
and perspective
Serving Immigrant Families
• Immigrant parents from Latin America and other
countries worldwide are new to the higher
education system in the United States.
• Immigrant parents want their children to go to
college in order to have a career, a bright future,
and a better life, but the main barrier is that they
do not know the "steps" involved and may not be
aware of financial aid and scholarships.
Strengths of immigrant children and
children who have immigrant parents:
• Bilingual Language Development
• Social Competence Across Cultures
• Strong Family Relationships
• Education as a Family Value
Student Voices and Perspectives:
• Mundo, Juan and Esteban are brothers who grew up in
an eastern, NC farming-community.
• Mundo and Juan regularly missed school to help out in
the fields. Academically they were not reaching their
potential, and the plan was to drop out in 10th grade.
• Then, one day, Mundo and Juan received an unexpected
opportunity, and they were the first in their family to go to
college. Esteban, who is the youngest, became an
attorney.
• In this story, Esteban says “thank-you” as he credits his
brothers for his own academic and career success.
• Let's listen to their story...
What are some of the challenges
Juan’s family needed to overcome
to access higher education?
Is his family the exception or the rule?
An Email from a Counselor in Eastern
NC, January 3, 2013
Dear Ms. Weaver,
Xxxxx Xxxx from Southern Xxxx High School has been in
contact with you for a few years now. He has obtained a
Social Security card and number with the comment "For
Work Purposes Only". He received his card right after the
recent deferred action decision. He now wants to know if
he is eligible to apply for federal financial aid by completing
the FAFSA. How would you advise him on this situation?
Would attending FAFSA Day be a good idea or could his
family's accountant be able to assist him better?
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals:
DACA
On June 15, 2012, President Obama issued an
Executive Order:
“Effective immediately, certain young people who were
brought to the United States through no fault of their own
as young children and meet several key criteria will be
considered for relief from removal from the country or
entered into removal proceedings. Those who
demonstrate that they meet the criteria will be eligible to
receive deferred action for a period of two years, subject
to renewal.”
Eligibility for DACA
• Have come to the United States under the age of sixteen;
• Have continuously resided in the United States for at least
five years preceding June 15, 2012 and are present in the
United States on June 15, 2012;
• Currently be in school, have graduated from high school,
have obtained a general education development certificate,
or are honorably discharged veterans of the Coast Guard or
Armed Forces of the United States;
• Have not been convicted of a felony offense, a significant
misdemeanor offense, multiple misdemeanor offenses, or
otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety;
• Not be above the age of thirty.
An estimated 65,000 undocumented,
under-documented and DACA students graduate
from U.S. high schools each year
Similar to Peers
Low-income
Poor academic preparation
First-generation college student
Limited access to college info
and support
Different from Peers
Not eligible for federal or state
financial aid or in-state Tuition in NC
DACA Changes
Gain legal employment
Eligible for driver’s
license
Eliminates fear of
discovery and
deportation
Plyler Vs. Doe 1982
The U.S. Supreme Court invalidated a Texas law authorizing
school districts to bar undocumented students from public
elementary and secondary schools.
• The court noted that the statute imposed a “lifetime hardship on
a discrete class of children not accountable for their disabling
status.”
• The case did not address explicitly the question of
postsecondary education, however, Legislative Counsel has
suggested that Plyler v. Doe would not apply to postsecondary
education.
• Elementary and secondary education (K –12) is a fundamental
and protected right. All children, including undocumented
children, can attend any public elementary and secondary
school free of charge.
Currently, there are 16 states in the U.S. with
policies that allow eligible undocumented students
to pay in-state tuition.
To be eligible in these states, students must:
• Attend at least 3-years of high school in that state AND
• Graduate from a high school in the state.
Texas, California, Utah, Illinois, Washington, New York,
Kansas, New Mexico, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Wisconsin,
Colorado, Maryland, Oregon and Connecticut. Rhode Island
and Hawaii have similar versions, but with exceptions.
Are there any exceptions in NC of
which people should be aware?
• TPS- Temporary Protective Status
El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua,
Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria
• I-797 (Receipt from USCIS that
application for Legal Permanent
Residence, aka Green Card, has been
submitted and fees have been paid)
An Email from a Counselor in Eastern
NC, April 1, 2014
Hello Donna,
I hope you are well. Jxxxxxx and I have a question. There
is a student I have been working with trying to get him into
a four year institution. He has been accepted into Xxxxx
College, a private school, in South Carolina and has plans
to go in the fall. We are seriously considering attending the
open house and would like to know if you would like to
come with us? The event is April XXth from 8am-12pm. Ms.
Xxxxx had the fabulous idea of inviting you, as well as the
student's mother, along. Please let me know if you are
interested?
States which have more restrictive
policies than NC:
• Arizona and Georgia specifically bar
undocumented immigrants from receiving instate tuition rates.
• South Carolina and Alabama prohibit
undocumented students from enrolling in state
colleges at all.
An Email from a Counselor in
Eastern NC, April 3, 2014
Hello everyone,
After speaking with the student and discussing all of the
measures we would have to take to ensure everyone's
safety and the details we would have to plan, the student
decided not to attend the open house. He decided to wait
seeing as how he also just started a new job and has not
built up enough time to take the full day off. When
combined with all of the logistics, he felt it was just too
much too soon. Thanks for being so willing to help us with
this.
An Email, March 21, 2014
Hello,
My name is XXXX and I was wondering if you can help or
advise me with financial aid? I applied to XXCC because
someone told me they were going to allow deferred action
students to pay in-state tuition if a church would sponsor
them; however they have changed the policy. They are no
longer doing that, and I am not able to afford college. My
mom heard about a story where an immigrant student had
a sponsor or someone who paid for him. Do you know of
any thing related this? If you know of any scholarships or
other ways to pay for college would you please let me
know? Thank you!
Business Sponsor Exception
•
Pursuant to N.C.G.S § 115D-39(a), “when an employer
other than the Armed Forces . . . pays tuition for an
employee to attend [a community college] and . . . the
employee works at a North Carolina business location,
the employer shall be charged the in-state tuition rate.” If
a student with DACA classification is employed at a
North Carolina business location and the employer of the
DACA student working at the North Carolina business
location wants to pay for the DACA student to attend a
community college, the employer shall be charged the
in-state tuition rate.
(Shante Martin, NCCSS, memo dated 9/12/13)
Text message, March 10, 2014
Hi!
This is Xxxxx, and I am confused about how to apply for
financial aid. I am a US citizen but my parents do not have
social security numbers. I don’t know if I can do the
FAFSA? My parents are married and do their taxes
together. They earned about $45,000 in 2013. I’m also
thinking they earned too much money for me to qualify for
financial aid. There are three kids at home and two of us
will be in college in the fall, hopefully. I’m a good student.
My GPA is about 3.5 to 3.7, and it is my dream to become a
nurse.
Thanks for any advice you can offer!
For FAFSA Completion:
For eligible students whose parent(s)
does not have a social security number,
and it is a required field for FAFSA
completion, use 000-00-0000.
What about PIN and electronic
signatures?
Resources on CFNC.org:
• Grants Forecaster
• Net Price Calculators
• Forgivable Education Loans for
Service
A Phone Message from December 2013
Hello,
I would like to open a CFNC 529 Savings Plan for
my daughter. She was born, here, in NC, and she
is five-years old. My husband I do not have social
security numbers, but we do file our taxes using an
ITIN number which was issued to us by the IRS.
Am I eligible to open a 529 plan for my daughter?
Thank you!
From the Experts at CFI
• If the parent is going to be the Participant
on the Account he/she will need a SSN or
TIN. If they cannot provide either of these
they will not be able to participate.
• The student could still be a Beneficiary on
an Account but they would need someone
willing to create and manage the account
with a valid SSN or TIN.
Email from XXXXX (Monica’s Son),
dated March 17, 2014
Hey so I got into XXXX college and I got my financial aid
for school letter saying how much I got for it but when do I
get it or how does it go from here.
Sent from my iPhone
Dear XXXXX,
The next step would be to contact this person.
Let me know how it goes.
Donna
An Email from March 22, 2014:
Good afternoon, my name is Xxxxxxx. I have questions
about going to college. I'm a senior at West Fxxxxx High
School and I'm very exited about college. But I was
wondering what kinds of government help I could get to pay
college?
Or how to even start. Could you help me?
-Sincerely Xxxxxxx
Students Need Mentors, Role Models
and Encouragement
• Student Support Groups
• High School Clubs
• Student Alumni
• College student groups
• Individualized counseling and guidance
Parents Need College Knowledge
• Involve parents in college preparation
process
• Develop parent support groups
• Provide information in parents’ native
language
• Connect parents to community resources
Two of the most effective ways to help
students reach their college goals:
• Fostering positive connections with
students and their families
• Provide culturally sensitive and
informative sessions on how to plan
for college and a career
• Research from NCSU
A Conversation with a Student,
October 2013
Well, you know that XXX (private college) awarded me a
$22,000 scholarship, and I make about $4000 a year with
my job on campus. I also received three local scholarships
when I graduated from high school in June. I am staying
busy on weekends as a volunteer and mentor for XXXXX
(organization), where I earn a small stipend.
Even with this generous help, my parents and I still
borrowed $5000 to pay for this school year. Do you know of
any scholarships that I could apply for? I don’t want to have
to continue borrowing so much?
Since I have Deferred Action, I don’t qualify for any federal
or state grants.
Online Resources
Hispanic Scholarship Fund
The North Carolina Society of Hispanic
Professionals
Adelante NC
The Tomorrow Fund for Hispanic Students
Student Action with Farmworkers: Into the Fields
Internship
Golden Door Scholars
Email from a Student, March 15, 2014
• Hey Donna,
This is Xxxxxx Xxxxx. I am a local high
school student here in the triad, and I am
trying to get in contact with you to ask for
some help with my graduation project
regarding CFNC. If you could just e-mail me
back soon.
Thank you!
The Graduation
Project:
El Futuro Esta En Nuestras Manos
Fecha /Date: Abril/April 2
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Lugar/Place:
Randolph-Asheboro YMCA Community Room
Información para padres
Y estudiantes relacionado
a solicitudes de colegio e información/
Information for parents and students related to
college and college applications
Conversation with a Parent who attended the
Graduation Project, April 2, 2014
I want to ask you about a program that my son has been
invited to participate in? Last Saturday, we attended a seminar,
similar to the one tonight, and we listened to presentations
about colleges, and costs and financial aid. It all sounded very
nice, and we enjoyed it. At the end, we were asked to sit down
at a table with a representative who told us, that in order for
my son to participate in the program, we would need to pay
$2000. They accepted credit cards. The service they offered
us included helping my son identify and apply to a good
college. They, also, said they could guarantee he would get a
scholarship. When they reminded us how much college costs,
it seemed like a good deal. What do you think?
Serving Immigrant Parents In NC: An Email, 2/26/14
Good Morning Ms. Weaver,
I hope you are having a great day. My name is Xxxxx Xxxxxx and I am an
intern with Xxxxx Xxxxx at Xxxx Xxxxx Elementary school. We wanted to thank
you again for coming to speak with our Spanish speaking parents.
We would also like to request an additional presentation for our Karen and
Burmese parents. They've expressed concern about their unfamiliarity with the
process of preparing for college in the American system. Xxxxx thinks your
presentation will help them greatly.
We would like to try to schedule this meeting for a Thursday morning in April.
Please let know me if you have availability during these days. We will also
provide a translator to work with you and the parents.
• Best wishes,
• Xxxxx Xxxxxx
People: Voices and Perspectives
San Francisco State University Graduate
Pulitzer Prize-Winner:
Jose Antonio Vargas
People: Voices and Perspectives
UNC-Chapel Hill Student:
Emilio Vicente
People: Voices and Perspectives
Salem College Student:
Valeria Sotelo
Thank you for attending this session!