ADELANTE STUDENT VOICES
We go ADELANTE/FORWARD together
WHAT WE DO
Adelante is a safe space for undocumented students in NYS to explore their legal status and routes to college with their peers and professional staff. Members join our network by attending a summer session and continue to develop their educational roadmap through mentorship and quarterly reunions. We also work with students to research new policy directions and offer consulting to colleges and universities that wish to welcome more undocumented students. Members become involved in legislative and institutional campaigns to contribute to a just New York State.

WHY WE DO IT
Message from founder Gabriela: "I arrived in this country from El Salvador when I was 13 years old. I realized that fulfilling my dream of attending college would be a monumental task. I was an undocumented immigrant. Luckily, I had a great support system. I founded Adelante to help other undocumented students navigate the same questions I had."
BECOMING A MEMBER
Membership in Adelante begins with participation in our Summer Program. The Summer Program is a free 10-day overnight program, and covers the college admission process, as well as activism and how to become involved in community change.
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Any undocumented high school student who lives in New York State outside of the City can apply to join. If you live in New York City, we are happy to answer questions and connect you with amazing organizations in the City.
PREVIEW THE NYS Dream Act
The New York State DREAM Act is the legislation passed in 2019 that allows eligible undocumented students to apply for New York State Financial Aid such as TAP and Excelsior. We created a slide presentation you can click through to preview screenshots of the application and read some of our own comments. Take a look, and let us know what other questions you have or information you want us to add! Appointments to complete the application are available on request.
ANNOUNCEMENT
We are excited to welcome Iridian Lucas Garcia to the Adelante team as our Youth Organizer! Iridian is a DACAmented organizer residing in the Hudson Valley, who works to uplift organizations that support and empower immigrant communities. As a DACA recipient, she has experienced firsthand the systemic barriers that undocumented students face in achieving a higher education. As an organizer, she knows the way to rectify those barriers is to change the systems in place through political advocacy and organizing. Iridian also works as the Coalition and Member Engagement Coordinator at Columbia County Sanctuary Movement, an organization that services and organizes immigrant communities in the Upper Hudson Valley and Capital Region.