LearnmoreMN Blog

Helping undocumented students navigate the path to college

By Maureen Ramirez, June guest blogger

Getting into college is not an easy job and when you’re not from here and haven’t had anyone else in your family go, it can be even more difficult. Add in the complicated process of immigration, and you have a perfect storm of policies, procedures, barriers and limited options.

Luckily, some Minnesota students, confronted with these challenges, took matters into their own hands and developed some tools to make it easier.

Necessary and Valuable Insight to Gain Access to Education (NAVIGATE) combines information-sharing with mentoring to provide undocumented students with real-life examples of students in similar situations who beat the odds. It was started in the spring of 2007 by an undocumented college student and his mentor, a former high school track coach. Their goal was to share how they had learned to navigate the college application process and to create a leadership program for other undocumented young adults.

Since then, NAVIGATE has created 10 community internship experiences for students, some paid and some volunteer, that give them the opportunity to learn on-the-job skills and relate their experiences to wider audiences. These interns have produced an informational brochure, a website, and two documentaries to assist undocumented students with Minnesota-specific information on applying to college. Additionally, the interns have reached out to 700 students, families and community members to talk about the pathways to college for undocumented students. NAVIGATE also hosts two monthly networking events, one in Faribault and one in the Twin Cities, for 35 students who gather on Saturday afternoons to meet guest speakers and mentors in an informal setting.

I’ve gotten to know these students and have attended their networking groups. I find the Saturday afternoon groups to be inspirational — especially for the guest speakers who are impressed with the maturity and tenacity of the students. For me, the best part about NAVIGATE is how it uses the leadership skills of young people to solve two problems: lack of information and lack of role models. It’s an example of a grassroots approach to the college-application process, and in a state ranked 49th in student/counselor ratios — it’s worth celebrating.

I worked as an admissions counselor for four years and in that time I encountered well-meaning individuals with a complete lack of information about the legal educational rights of undocumented students and their best options for attending college. I talked with families who were told that their student would be arrested if he applied for college and counselors who thought that talking to ICE (Immigration Customs and Enforcement) was the best advice for an undocumented student. This kind of misinformation still exists and is a barrier to college access that NAVIGATE is working against.

Regardless of their immigration status, these are Minnesota’s students — they are physically present in our state, and so are their families. Their education is just as important to this state as my own kids’ education.

Congratulations to NAVIGATE interns for using new media tools to tell their stories and to address a major college access problem on a grassroots level. Congratulations to all the mentors and funders who recognize that these students belong to Minnesota. It is in our best interest to support their education.

This post represents the personal views of Maureen Ramirez and does not reflect the position of the University of Minnesota.

Building Better Bridges

by Maureen Ramirez, June guest blogger

As high school students all over Minnesota graduate, many of them are looking forward to a summer of transition; this is the time to say goodbye to high school and say hello to college. An innovative program at the University of Minnesota is helping students facilitate the transition — not just to campus, but into the University community.

This summer, 80 students at the University of Minnesota will be welcomed by the Bridge to Academic Excellence program.

While Bridge participation extends throughout the school year, the highlight is an intensive six-week residential and academic experience during the summer prior to the first year. During the summer session, Bridge students live on campus in University residence halls to build relationships with other students in their cohort. A strong academic foundation is established through seven credits of University courses.

In the past, Bridge students took science and statistics courses, but this year, two courses will provide students the opportunity to actively participate in the University community, not just be aware of services on campus.

In the Digital Storytelling class students will investigate modes and dimensions of computer-based storytelling, and examine media as tools for community organizing and development.

In the Citizenship, Leadership and the University class students will study leaders and how they solve public problems, but they will also develop a code of ethics and examine the ways they can contribute to the common good.

At the end of the summer, 40 students will be proficient in telling digital stories, and 40 students will know how to get involved and solve problems for the common good. I think Bridge has the right idea this year to bring students into the U with tools for telling their own story and getting involved for the common good.

Higher education is the perfect place for young, and not so young, learners to find their voices. In fact, this is precisely what colleges and universities do — they create a community of ethical, creative leaders who will meet challenges with new ideas.

I am excited by the prospect of so many new people entering college and learning to become leaders in our state. I only hope our state can keep our commitment to them and to the common good by investing in higher education.