Helping DREAMers with TAFSA

A message for those who want to help DREAMers with TAFSA, from David Johnston:

1. Instead of asking minority parents to ‘come to us’, we set up four financial aid help sites in areas they frequent, such as cafes, bakeries and libraries on the first two Saturdays of March, April, and May with one Wednesday evening session.
2. Instead of having ‘experts from outside the community man the sites’ we enlist bilingual professionals and college students to volunteer. These volunteers then offer their own experiences of being the first in their families to attend college as they help parents complete their TASFA/FAFSA’s.

Paul Landa is soliciting volunteers for three sites he’s set up on the East side of Houston. I’m setting up volunteers for our Southwest Houston site (Public Library in Southwest Multi Service Center/ 6400 High Star 77074).

If you are interested in volunteering for the Southwest Houston site, I give the logistics below:

Ø Volunteers agree to ‘man’ a site for two hours. For Saturdays we’d like volunteers to commit to two consecutive Saturdays. Each Saturday a volunteer will ‘man’ the site for two hours. I will work to have two volunteers per two hour block.

Ø I will supply volunteers with a detailed ‘how to complete the TASFA/FAFSA’ workbooks, which take any guess work out of helping a family complete the FAFSA/TASFA.

Ø Volunteers will have a table in the library, a file box with supplies, computer access, and a notebook to keep a log of parents they assist.

Ø Paul and I are responsible for advertising the event and making sure each sites is stocked with FAFSA/TASFA’s and help books. Paul and I will also be on call to answer questions volunteers might have while helping parents.

If you can volunteer (or can pass onto young people you work with), please fill in the below table for the times and dates you can help. If you have questions please call (713-857-8041) or email (djohnsto@houstonisd.org). Also, if you know of others who can help, please pass this email along or forward me their contact information. Please feel free to post this on Facebook or other social networks you use. If you wish, I will be available to conduct orientation sessions (30 minutes) at your convenience.

Thank you,
David Johnston 713-787-1715 (o)
College Access Coordinator 713-787-1723 (f)
Lee High School djohnsto@houstonisd.org
6529 Beverly Hill Lane Houston TX 77057

Making it Clear on TAFSA- Financial Aid for DREAMERS in Texas

Ok, before minuteman out there get jumpy about us DREAMERS getting financial aid in Texas, please read the following response to a furic citizen. My friend and fellow DREAMER as well as her friend wrote a response to a letter that a person wrote complaining that we, Texas DREAMERS get financial aid. The letter written by an unknown person very much describes the general ignorant opinion of people who capitalize and generalize the case of one person they meet to the rest of us. Not only that, as you read, you can read the hate-mongering comments that are completely irrelevant to the issue of financial aid.

Please read and get the facts straight; we, DREAMERS do not get federal aid, loans, or PELL grants. If that was the case i would have finished with my degree a long time ago instead of taking breaks because of lack of money. We have something called the TEXAS grant and it is literally given on a first come fist serve basis, i have been left out of aid more than one time because the funds run out.

Please educate others, that is the only way to make progress.

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RESPONSE TO ANTI IMMIGRANT BULLETIN

OUR COMMENTS TO THE LETTER BELOW OUR RESPONSE:

1. I think its important to note that PELL grant (federal money) is not given to just any immigrant. In order for federal money to be given to an immigrant, that immigrant has to be an LPR (legal permanent resident) and had to have been an LPR for 5 years or more.

There is a PELLgrant that is not federal money, it comes from the state. Like here in Texas we have the TAFSA. (Texas Application for Federal Student Aid) and it does provide financial assistance to immigrants not LPR. There is thou, a extensive requisites to be able to qualify, including:
-Enlist in the arm forces
-Prove that parents pay taxes
-Sign a notorized letter stating that you will become a LPR as soon as you have an opportunity.
-Maintain a certain grade point average.

2. The CARIBE program is ONLY for asylum or refugees that are documented, "legal" or that have come from war torn countries or politically unstable situations. It’s important to mention that this CARIBE program is GRANT FUNDED & not funded by the Federal government. Again, only immigrants with refugee or asylum status can benefit from CARIBES’s services.

3. I don’t know much about the WAIT program. Honestly I did not find anything on WAIT when I tried to research it.

It is unfortunate that this girl "Dominican Republican" does not want to get a job or become a U.S. citizen. But this is a personal choice. Most young immigrants don’t choose to immigrate, it is usually their parents choice. Please lets not narrow and generalize all immigrants because of HER choice.

When you participate in discriminatory activities you are creating a new form of racism based on immigration status and it is also creating a 21st century holocaust based on xenophobia, hatred and ignorance.

When you are speaking about "subjects close to your heart" PLEASE be cautious of your wording and your research. We have statistics about how IMMIGRANTS do pay taxes, do learn the language, do contribute to society but are also abused and discriminated against simply because they were born in countries that lack economic opportunities.

This is for educational purposes. You do not have to distribute!

Saludos,
Betty & Zelene

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A teacher speaks

This is a subject close to my heart. Do you know that we have adult students at the school where I teach who are not US citizens and who get the PELLgrant, which is a federal grant (no pay back required) plus other federal grants to go to school?

One student from the Dominican Republic told me that she didn’t want me to find a job for her after she finished my program, because she was getting housing from our housing department and she was getting PELL grant which paid for her total tuition and books, plus money left over.

She was looking into WAIT which gives students a CREDIT CARD for gas to come to school, and into CARIBE which is a special program *(check it out- I did) for immigrants and it pays for child care and all sorts of needs while they go to school or training. The one student I just mentioned told me she was not going to be a US citizen because she plans to return to the Dominican Republic someday and that she ’loves HER country.’

I asked her if she felt guilty taking what the US is giving her and then not even bothering to become a citizen and she told me that it doesn’t bother her, because that is what the money is there for!

I asked the CARIBE administration about their program and if you ARE a US citizen, you don’t qualify for their program. And all the while, I am working a full day, my son-in-law works more than 60 hours a week,and everyone in my family works and pays for our education.

Something is wrong here. I am sorry but after hearing they want to sing the National Anthem in Spanish - enough is enough.

Nowhere did they sing it in Italian, Polish, Irish (Celtic), German or any other language because of immigration. It was written by Francis Scott Key and should be sung word for word the way it was written. The news broadcasts even gave the translation -- not even close. Sorry if this offends anyone but this is MY COUNTRY

IF IT IS YOUR COUNTRY SPEAK UP -- please pass this along.

I am not against immigration -- just come through like everyone else. Get a sponsor; have a place to lay your head; have a job; pay your taxes, live by the rules AND LEARN THE LANGUAGE as all other immigrants have in the past -- and GOD BLESS AMERICA!

PART OF THE PROBLEM

Think about this: If you don’t want to forward this for fear of offending someone -- YOU’RE PART OF THE PROBLEM!

It is Time for America to Speak up If you agree -- pass this along, if you don’t agree --- delete it!

Image obtained here