Photo: Osmin farrier / washington hispanic.

Of left to der. Carol, Christian and Teresa have found in the program the support and the necessary help to continue his studies traveled the university.

Mitzi Mace
Washington Hispanic

Christian Rivero: Bolivian, 18 years, postgraduate of the secondary school Lake Braddock dreams of obtaining a doctorate in political sciences.
Teresa Vizcarra, Peruvian, 19 years, postgraduate of the secondary school Fairfax wants to become a lawyer and enter to the laws school.
Carol Zambrano, Bolivian, 19 years, his biggest challenge to obtain a licentiate in business with specialty in marketing and sports nutrition, and to open a gymnasium.
This three immigrant young people has different sleep, but they share his desire to turn into professionals and, in spite of the stones that found in the way, they chose to continue the “Way to the University”, a program that offers help to the students since they are in the secondary school until they graduate of the university.
Pathway to the Baccalaureate or “Way to the University” is a program that there initiated on initiative of the president of the institution of higher education NOVA (Northern Virginia Community College, in English) Dr. Robert G. Templin, Jr. with the intention of helping the students to continue his studies then that graduate of the secondary schools and obtain a baccalaureate in any field of his academic interest.
“ Our target is that the students who finish the secondary school are prepared to continue his studies and should have the information and consultancy necessary to do it, because we have thought that they face many difficulties in the way”, said to Washington Hispanic doctor Barbara Saperstone, Provost of the campus of NOVA'S Annandale.
“ We are the bridge between the school and the university because the goal is that they graduate of the university, and we with this program support them in each of his steps”, adds Saperstone.

Photo: Osmin farrier / washington hispanic.

Barbara Saperstone, Provost of NOVA; along with the director of the program “Way to the University”, Kerin A. Hilker-Balkissoon.

The program is possible thanks to an alliance between the public schools, NOVA and the University George Mason. In a beginning “Way to the University” worked with four public schools of Fairfax and ten of the county of Loudoun, beginning the first group with 330 students. At present, due to the success and acceptance of the program, “Way” gets connected to the University with 12 schools of the school system of Fairfax, all the schools of the county of Arlington and Loudoun, and the school T.C. Williams of the city of Alexandria, and they hope to continue in expansion.
“ At present, the program is provided with 2,811 students and of our first group we have 23 young people who are already registered in George Mason and in other universities. Of all our pupils, almost 40 per cent are of Hispanic origin and mostly they represent the first generation inside his families that aspire to a higher education. On having finished his studies in NOVA, they have the first option to go to George Mason, but if in the way they find another option educative, can continue his studies in any university”, affirms Kerin A. Hilker-Balkissoon, director of the program “Way to the University”.
“ We are in conversations to work with more schools and in a future we are going to incorporate to the schools of Prince Williams and Manassas”, adds the director of the program.
It does not matter
the legal status
One of the principal barriers that the immigrant students have to be able to continue top studies in the United States is the financial situation and the migratory status. For this reason, “Way to the University” is a program that is opened to all the students who graduate of the public schools of Virginia without importing the legal status.
“ NOVA'S president has been very clear in saying that NOVA gives the welcome to all the students who have been a part of the school system in Virginia without importing the legal status”, clarified the Provost of the educational institution.
“ But, what yes demands the law is that these students must pay the tariff as foreign students or that they live out of the state through what is known like out-state tuition. This means high costs for our students, therefore we work with them to help them to find the best financial alternatives”, tells the director.
The barriers of
undocumented persons
Many students are provided with the puntajes and credits necessary George Mason is transferred, but due to the legal status they cannot pay the registration for the high costs. To have an idea, a credit in George Mason for an undocumented student costs thousand dollars (an average course consists of three credits).
“ I am ready to deposit George Mason, but I do not have the sufficient money, so I will take only one course”, expressed one of the participants of “Way to the University” that preferred to support his name in reservation. “Here in the program I find the support and the consultancy that I need in my situation. The idea is not to stop studying”, added the student.
As well as this young woman, there are many brilliant students who must postpone the advance in his career due to the migratory status therefore they think that the only solution is that there is approved a migratory reform or Dream Act that would facilitate the way to them in his academic and professional targets.
“ I am the minor in the family and I feel a big pressure on having seen my mother being employed at two places and my older sisters also. They have deposited all his confidence in me, but also I am worried by the health of my mother and the whole sacrifice that they do so that it could continue my estudiios”, it pointed out other one of the participants of the program.
They offer scholarships
Most of students who register in this program belong to families with income that go of 10 thousand to 35 thousand dollars per year, therefore the financial situation is always one of the principal barriers for a young man who wants to continue his top studies. For this reason, the program offers scholarships that are not annexed by the government to help to settle the expense of the education of the students that they do not qualify to student loans.
“ We are provided with a fund for 100 thousand dollars in scholarships that come from private foundations and that are available for any pupil who informs of nuesttro program. Regrettably, it is not sufficient to help all therefore across our advisers we work with the students to face them to obtain other scholarships opportunities across private organizations”, the director of the program concludes.