Virginia-based Marymount University is starting a new scholarship program that would make the cost of attending college affordable for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students.
Last week, Marymount’s President Dr. Irma Becerra, along with Senators Tim Kaine and Barbara Favola, announced creating a scholarship opportunity that would ease the financial burden for a greater number of such students.
Under DACA, students who arrive in the United States without documents as children are allowed to work and study and obtain protection from deportation. They are often called “DREAMers.”
“DREAMer students are highly motivated and eager to face the many obstacles and challenges that present themselves on the journey to a college degree,” Dr. Becerra said.
“These students make Marymount, and the United States, a better place. We should do all we can to support their dreams and educational pursuits.”
The new program will bring relief for students who are not eligible for federal financial aid. Currently, the university is raising funds for the scholarship program.
“Marymount is a special place,” Sen. Kaine said.
“Marymount is recognized as one of the most diverse universities in the South. It’s no surprise that Marymount would be one of the few universities in the country recognized for its support of DREAMers. Diversity is a value here and the support for DREAMers is very admirable. This has been a commitment that Marymount has had for a while.”
The U.S. Supreme Court is currently hearing the lawsuit over the program which protected 700,000 immigrants from deportation. Last month, more than nineteen higher education institutions across the nation filed amicus, or “friend of the court,” briefs in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
National Immigration Law Center anticipates court to deliver verdict anywhere between January and June 2020.
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