DREAMer’s RoadMap gives direction to undocumented immigrants

Every year, over 65,000 undocumented immigrants graduate from high school, many not believing they have the opportunity to seek a higher education. The app DREAMer’s RoadMap was designed to address this problem.

“DREAMer’s Roadmap can help a lot of us financially in college,” Daniel Pearl Magnet junior Maria Danan said.

As the school year draws to a close, many undocumented students are barred from applying for FAFSA in their senior year of high school because they are not considered documented citizens of the United States. For these reasons, Sarahi Espinoza Salamanca, an undocumented immigrant herself, created DREAMer’s RoadMap in April 2016.

DREAMer’s RoadMap is a mobile app that provides undocumented students with access to hundreds of scholarship opportunities across the United States. From scholarships created for students with leadership accomplishments and others for students with challenging backgrounds, DREAMer’s RoadMap offers an abundance of opportunities to motivate undocumented students to take the big leap into applying for college.

Users can also suggest scholarships to their peers, creating an interlocked community where undocumented students can come together. DREAMer’s Roadmap provides users with tips and  information for applying for colleges and scholarships, as well as surviving as a first generation college students.

In addition to significant information pertaining to college, DREAMer’s RoadMap links students to blogs written by other undocumented students on the importance of loving yourself for who you are, as well as blogs about how students reached their dreams, despite the hardships they faced growing up as undocumented students.

Through support and motivation, the creators of  DREAMer’s Roadmap aim to assist 10,000 students from across the United States discover scholarships perfect for them in their first year. With a five-star review rating, it is safe to say that the app DREAMer’s RoadMap is a beneficial resource, particularly in this time where undocumented students face growing disadvantages.

“This app is helpful for undocumented immigrants because it gives us information of scholarships that some of us can’t get through FAFSA or Cal Grants,” Danan said. “DREAMer’s Roadmap can help a lot of us financially in college.”