Undocumented students at Western and across the state face unique struggles and challenges while they work toward their degree and achieving their goals. This Give Day our goal is to raise funds to support these students on their path through higher education.
Through conversations with affected students, faculty, staff and University leadership, four ways to assist with the pressing needs of undocumented students at WWU have been created. Listed below are the key resources we provide:
Undocumented Students Resource Fund: This fund was created with the aim to assist undocumented students in a variety of ways including help with tuition, DACA registration fees, housing and food emergencies, and more. The goal is to allow undocumented students to focus on being successful in school instead of worrying about how to find money to address an emergency situation. Estimates show that an average of 30 students a year face an emergency that can be solved with just a $500-$1000 micro-grant through this fund.
The goal is to establish a pool of a minimum of $15,000 per year to bridge the gap and help undocumented students succeed at Western.
Learning Without Borders Scholarship: This scholarship is dedicated to the benefit of undocumented students and recognizes the achievements of a student each spring. Like all WWU students, undocumented students are hardworking and intelligent, but their status comes with unique challenges that are difficult to navigate without assistance like Federal Financial Aid.
The current scholarship recognizes one student per year and our goal is to grow the scholarship so that more than one student can be recognized for their hard work and resilience.
The Blue Group AS Club: The Blue Group provides a safe space for undocumented students and their allies to better enhance their college experience by providing resources and putting on events for the greater community. This year we plan to focus on community outreach and the intersectionality within our group. In the club you can receive scholarship help, WASFA help, DACA information and a loving community with lots to share. Gifts to the club will help expand the level of community outreach and help we can provide to students.
AS Undocumented Student Support Scholarship: To support a highly in-need undocumented student to give them the resources to get by and continue to focus on their education. We would love to see this grow to support more students because as we know it doesn't take a lot to help them tremendously!
Any and all donations, no matter how big or small go to ensuring that undocumented students at Western Washington University are one step closer to achieving their dreams. So please donate if you can or show your support by sharing our Give Day link!
Keep up with our work through the Blue Resource Center Facebook or Instagram or through Blue Group's Instagram
Thank You For Your Support!
