Our Story

After connecting with Emory’s DACA & Undocumented student groups as well as DACA & Undocumented Emory alumni who informally fundraised to cover non-academic costs for immigrant students throughout the pandemic, immigrants rights organization Emory Behind the Glass was inspired to develop a formal and consistent fund to meet this need. 

This past summer, Emory Behind the Glass began to petition for the creation of such a fund, advocating for non-academic supplemental funding for immigrant students on Emory’s campus. DACA & Undocumented students at Emory too often find themselves unable to afford necessities such as dental care or flights home during a family emergency. These students also often cannot access enriching experiences such unpaid internships, study abroad trips, and academic conferences, which for many reasons are vital to a well-rounded college experience. The petition for this fund has since garnered signatures from over three hundred members of the Emory community, as well as dozens of clubs on Emory’s campus, further signaling the dire need and widespread support for such supplementary funding offered by the university. 

Your Support 

With the support of Enku Gelaye, Dean of Campus Life, Carol Henderson, Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion, the Office of Financial Aid Services, and Danielle Bruce-Steele, the Director of the Office of LGBT Life and Co-Chair of the Mariposa Scholars Program in Belonging & Community Justice, this fund has now been established on Emory’s campus. We now need your help to address the urgent financial needs of Emory’s DACA and Undocumented students as well as to ensure this fund continues to serve as a resource for future Emory DACA and Undocumented students. 

We are raising money to provide Emory’s DACA & Undocumented students with the financial support necessary to fully experience college life, recognizing that DACA & Undocumented students face many unique forms of financial hardships that can negatively impact their time at Emory. Although Emory may provide scholarships for some of the educational costs students face, testimony from many DACA & Undocumented students makes it clear that what they are receiving is often not enough to meet their needs outside of school, and to make them feel financially secure at Emory. Gifts to this fund will allow immigrant students to comfortably pay for groceries, afford copays when receiving medical treatment, study abroad, participate in unpaid internships, and explore the city of Atlanta. We hope that this fund will empower our diverse community and ensure their full inclusion into the Emory community and college life. All donation amounts are welcome and deeply appreciated!

Applying to the Fund 

If you are a DACA/Undocumented student seeking financial assistance from this fund, please reach out to Danielle Bruce-Steele (danielle.bruce.steele@emory.edu).

Donations to this Momentum project support the Mariposa Scholars gift account, a discretionary fund for the purchase of materials or services needed for programming and addressing unmet needs of DACA/undocumented students not available through other campus resources.