LANSING, Mich. (AP) – A Michigan organization that aims to boost access to – and graduation from – college is using a philanthropic grant to help the educational aims of students without legal status to live in the United States.
The Michigan College Access Network said the $30,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan will be used to aid the new Michigan Coalition for Undocumented Student Success. Specifically, the money will help hire a program coordinator to coordinate the the translation of a student guide to college into Spanish, Arabic and Chinese; work with educators on ways to support college-bound students; and organize conference focused on increasing students’ achievements.
MCAN Executive Director Ryan Fewins-Bliss said in a statement that many of the students are first-generation immigrants and “need help navigating the additional challenges they face because of their status.”
The grant is a part of the Southeast Michigan Immigrant and Refugee Funder Collaborative.