Because of the generosity of First Church members and friends, 10 Dreamers, attending four Phoenix Union high schools, will earn college credits this school year through a dual credit program offered by our Maricopa County community colleges.
Dreamers are young people who were brought to our country by their undocumented parents. Many came as infants or young children. In Arizona, we have been particularly cruel to our Dreamers. Prop 300, passed by voters in 2006, took away many state benefits from our undocumented neighbors and friends. One benefit lost was in-state tuition for Dreamers graduating from high schools in Arizona.
Recognizing the inequities of this requirement and wanting to help, First Church made the decision some years ago to offer tuition scholarships for dual credit classes through our Immigration Scholarship Fund. The out-of-state cost for a 3-credit class is $903, three times as much as the same class costs in-state students. Three of our recipients this year are taking a 3-credit English or math class, two are taking a 4-credit science class, and four are taking a 5-credit math class, which costs $1,505. One student is taking two classes; our initial hesitation to awarding payment for two classes was quickly set aside after we received this response from his counselor to our request for additional information (edited to eliminate his name and high school):
He is the number one ranked student in his graduating class of 2023. He has continuously chosen to take and excel in numerous AP and Honors courses through his time in our school, and as a member of our gifted program. His dream is to study math/engineering at a university next fall. Due to very limited family finances and citizenship status, he is seeking out numerous scholarships to help him fund his education and has consistently participated in dual enrollment classes to earn college credit and give him a head start on his dream of college. Beyond the classroom, he is a kind and compassionate student who is neither boastful nor arrogant about his intelligence and academic success. Rather he is humble and helps his classmates when they are in need of tutoring or help. I believe if any student is deserving of additional help in achieving their goal of college, it is this student.
Until the Dream Act passes, Prop 308, on our ballots in Arizona, is essential for restoring eligibility for in-state tuition for Dreamers. It is hard to believe that we have allowed the Dream Act to languish in Congress for so many years. If passed, the Dream Act would fix the immigration status of those children brought to our country by their undocumented parents. It would give them a path to citizenship. Since it was first introduced in 2010, the Dream Act has had wide bipartisan support, but it is caught up in the very partisan immigration stalemate. The Dream Act is particularly important for those students currently in high school because they have no protection from deportation. President Obama’s deferred action program, or DACA, established in 2012, was set aside by President Trump. Currently, DACA recipients are eligible for renewals every two years, but no new applications are being accepted. And the program in its entirety is in federal court, again.
Voting matters.
If you want to check on your ballot status, go to BeBallotReady.Vote. If you have questions about your ballot or you need information on propositions, judges or non-partisan races, contact Jane McNamara at janehmcnamara@gmail.com.
Thank you, as always, for your support of First Church. As an immigrant welcoming church, we will continue to be on the front lines, assisting asylum-seekers, helping Dreamers pursue their educational goals, and advocating for needed policy changes here in Arizona and in Washington, D.C.