Dominican University Welcomes New Group of ‘Dreamers’ Thanks to Scholarship Program Supporting Immigrant Education

A group of 42 new students are joining the Dominican University community this year thanks to an ongoing partnership with TheDream.US scholarship program.

A provider of college scholarships to undocumented students,TheDream.USworks to ensure that everyone, regardless of their place of birth, has equitable access to a college education. Because undocumented students cannot access federal student aid, paying for college can be a challenge — something TheDream.US works to alleviate.

This year, TheDream.US provided scholarships to its largest cohort ever this year, with more than 1,800 students from across the country embarking on their college career.

At Dominican, this year’s new Dreamers, as the scholarship recipients are called, include 37 first-year students and five transfer students. Three current Dominican University students also received scholarships this year.

“As a university with a legacy of educating first-generation college students and the children of immigrants, Dominican University is proud to welcome this new class of TheDream.US scholars and support them as they realize their dream of a college education,” said Genaro A. Balcazar, senior vice president of enrollment and marketing strategy.

Dominican began partnering with TheDream.US in 2015, accepting recipients of the National Scholarship, which is awarded to undocumented students who qualify for in-state tuition and have unmet financial needs. Last year, the partnership was expanded to also accept recipients of Opportunity Scholarships who live in “lockout states” that deny in-state tuition rates to undocumented immigrants or block their admission to public institutions entirely.

This year’s group of National Scholarship recipients includes 20 first-year students with an average GPA of 3.6, two transfer students and two returning current students, all from Illinois. The top three intended majors for these students are nursing, criminology and psychology.

Opportunity Scholarship recipients consist of 17 first-year students with an average GPA of 3.58, three transfer students and one returning current student. These students reside in nine lockout states, including neighboring Indiana, Missouri and Wisconsin. Their top intended majors are nursing, business and health sciences.

Arely Ramirez, a transfer student, joined Dominican as a junior this year, thanks to TheDream.US. She learned about the opportunity from a Dominican representative who was visiting her suburban community college.

“When I found out there was a scholarship I could get for solely being an immigrant, I applied, letting God take the wheel — and so much more came out of that than what I expected,” Ramirez said. “I not only gained a scholarship, but I gained the security that I can be somebody in life.”

Ramirez is majoring in psychology, with a dream of becoming a clinical adolescent psychologist.

After taking college credit courses in high school, Ana Zuniga found herself with few options for completing her bachelor’s degree. Faced with college enrollment restrictions in her state due to her immigration status and unable to secure financial help, Zuniga turned to TheDream.US at the advice of a friend. She is now enrolled as a graphic design/art major at Dominican.

“When I got to Dominican, I felt like it was finally worth all the years I spent working to get into college,” Zuniga said. “The school is so welcoming. The staff and the professors make you feel like you deserve to be here and you are welcome here.

“I’m also so thankful to TheDream.US scholarship because after all these years of working up to it, I am finally able to accomplish my dream of going to college and completing my bachelor’s degree,” she added.

“We are proud to partner with Dominican University and our other partner colleges to support talented Dreamers’ pursuit of higher education and career success,” said Gaby Pacheco, director of Advocacy, Communications, and Development at TheDream.US. “Despite many obstacles that have been put in their way, our scholars continue to persevere and succeed, demonstrating in the process why expanding opportunities for Dreamers is so important for the nation.”

The application period for 2024-25 scholarships opens Nov. 1. Additional information can be found atwww.thedream.us/scholarships.