Covid-19: Scholarship Fund Undocu Students

Beautiful people,

We are encouraging you to donate to undocumented students. Please consider donating or sharing; our communities appreciate any form of solidarity. 
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My counselor told me, "if you don't have the money to pay for the school, you can't go to College!" I was graduating with honors and accepted to top Colleges. I was also coming from a poor household and helping my single mother put food on the table; therefore, I immediately learned that going to College was not going to be easy. That day I managed to hold my tears in the counseling office until I got home. At home, I cried like a baby, and my mother saw me and told her what had happened. She said, "You'll find a way...I believe in you!" My mother's support helped me get the courage to continue my educational journey. I needed uplifting and encouragement because my educational experience was different from that of most of my colleagues. Because first and foremost, I am undocumented. With grit, tears, and sweat, I was able to graduate debt-free through my Master's program. Today, still undocumented, I want to give back to the undocumented communities because I want to remind students that they too will find a way. Unfortunately, many things have not changed for us, and many resources, such as financial aid, exclude undocumented students. I am only one of over 1.5 million undocumented students who reside in the US in which a majority excludes them from financial assistance because of their immigration status. These are students in the US who have the same experiences I had in which someone is telling them that if they don't have money to pay for the school, they can't go to College either. Today, amid a pandemic and anti-immigrant climate, the undocumented students are being excluded from many resources. Paying for College before the pandemic while being undocumented was challenging, and it only made it worse amid one.

Why are we focusing on undocumented students?
The UndocuProfessionals Network is a safe platform for the undocumented communities to highlight their experiences from students as they transition to professionals. Through our community we can break down the barriers that so many face in their education and entering the workforce. All students regardless of immigration status should have a clear pathway to achieving their education, career and personal goals and not be discriminated due to immigration status. Through the UndocuProfessionals Network, many students have shared their valuable stories with me. They shared their experiences with someone who told them that they couldn't go to College either if they didn't have the money to afford it. Undocumented students, through the UndocuProfessionals Network, continue to echo the high need for financial support that is not available to them. Today, amid so many uncertainties such as COVID-19 and anti-immigrant climate, the undocumented students need assistance. Therefore, in my humble efforts to assist the undocumented students, I am creating the UndocuProfessionals Scholarship Fund.

Where will the money from this Fund go?
With your support to the UndocuProfessionals Scholarship Fund, we can award scholarships to undocumented black students, undocumented students in the LGBTQ community, and undocumented students who are unemployed (that didn't qualify for unemployment benefits) and didn't receive a stimulus check because this administration excludes them. These are students that are both DACA recipients and non-DACA recipients. Each recipient will be awarded $500 from the UndocuProfessionals Scholarship Fund and will highlight each recipient at the UndocuProfessionals social media platforms. Please support some of the most vulnerable and overlooked community members. 

Request/application for the Scholarship Fund is coming soon and will announce once it is available. The application will be open to the community. 

The support, which will be given by check, money order, or Venmo/Zelle, will be delivered directly to the student. Also, we'll commit to collecting detailed receipts and scanning them into a Google drive folder designated for this Fund. I will also track all expenses on a Google spreadsheet. All of these efforts will create transparency between our donors and us.

Confidentiality is essential and will respect students who prefer not to disclose their info. However, I will share the EXACT AMOUNT and the number of students that we help.

Is UndocuProfessionals a non-profit? No, I  am part of the community, and my goal is to help the undocumented community. Most of my focus for this platform has been community building, and what better way than to bring our community together to support undocumented students!

With your support, the UndocuProfessionals Network community will be able to have the opportunity to apply for a scholarship, something that is not available at this time. I am setting the bar high and aiming to provide over 20 awards for undocumented students, and I know that together we can make it happen. Any support to the UndocuProfessionals Scholarship Fund will be appreciated. 

Having the opportunity to provide scholarships to undocumented students will remind them that they are not alone and that We believe in them!  

I believe in times of uncertainty; we lean on our community because you'll always show up.

Thank you for your support

Please send us a message if you have questions or suggestions that could improve our description.
P.S., don't forget to fill out the 2020 Census.

We Stand Together!

Sincerely,

Sharet García 
Founder, UndocuProfessionals 
Student & Educator 

More Info on the Vision, Mission & Impact of the UndocuProfessionals platform, please see the website: www.undocuprofessionalsnetwork.com