WINDHAM, Conn. (AP) – Ivonne Barcenas grew up in the hometown of the University of Georgia and had hopes of studying there – until she found out that immigrants without permanent legal status are prohibited from attending the state’s top public universities.
Instead Barcenas, whose family immigrated to the United States from Mexico when she was 3, this fall will be attending a public university in Connecticut, a state with more immigrant-friendly higher education policies. She will study at Eastern Connecticut State University under a scholarship program designed to help immigrants like her in 16 states where they are barred from top state schools or ineligible for in-state tuition.
Barcenas, 18, graduated with honors last month in a ceremony at the University of Georgia. She was accepted to a private college, but says she did not have the money to attend.
“A lot of opportunities were shut down to me because of my status,” she said through tears in an interview this week. “I mostly took AP classes in high school, because I thought that was as close as I would ever get to a college experience.”
She learned recently she was one of 46 students awarded a private scholarship to attend Eastern Connecticut, which along with Delaware State University is partnering to host students in the program sponsored by TheDream.Us, a national scholarship fund.