Scholars have until Monday, June 24 to submit and complete their Renewal Form. This is a hard deadline. Scholars that do not complete their renewal will lose their scholarship.

Scholars should check the email tied to their ISTS Scholar Portal for Renewal instructions. Scholars can also access their Renewal Form directly, by logging into their ISTS Scholar Portal. 

Here are Renewal statuses as of this morning:

Opportunity

• 36% Not Started
• 11% Started
• 12% Submitted
• 41% Completed

National

• 44% Not Started
• 12% Started
• 4% Submitted
• 44% Completed

Tip: Scholars must track the status of their Renewal Form to ensure it transitions from “Submitted” to “Complete” – which means ISTS has verified the uploaded transcript. Incomplete Renewal Forms will not be reviewed.

We encourage you to reach out to Scholars as well. It is essential for Graduates to also complete the Renewal Form by declining their Renewal and providing accurate graduation info. Please see sample email here.

Reminder: Please identify Scholars eligible to renew by running the "PC Scholar Report" in your ISTS PC Portal (filter on column AE “Renewal Eligibility” and select “2024-25 – Eligible to Renew”).

Please Note: The data for tracking Scholar Renewal statuses in Column AF of the “PC Scholar Report” is currently under construction. Details on the new column will be provided in next week's PC Weekly. Scholars can still accurately track their status in their ISTS Scholar Portal. 

Please update/confirm your mailing address to receive the 2024-2025 New Scholar Swag. 

Find your campus on this list and confirm the address we already have or update the information as needed. 

Deadline: Friday, June 28^th, 5 pm PT.

Our New Scholars love getting their swag at in-person Orientations and watch-parties for the New Scholar Welcome!

Are You Screening the Nationwide New Scholar Welcome on Your Campus?

Organizing in-person Scholarship Orientations for New Scholars is a wonderful way to welcome them on-campus. To maximize on this engagement, we recommend you combine your orientation with a screening of our Nationwide New Scholar Welcome held on Thursday, August 8th, 2024, 2pm EDT, 11am PDT, 1pm CDT. All our Partner Colleges will be receiving New Scholar Swag before the welcome event, so it will be great timing to hand out before the ceremony!

Here is the “Save the Date” flyer for the event, that you can share with your Scholars. If you are organizing a screening and/or orientation, please let us know by completing the Screening/Orientation Form by Thursday, August 1st, 2024.

Questions? Please email chris.aviles@thedream.us.

The Partner Colleges on this list should now submit their Summer term EVRs once classes are set. Note: Newly awarded Scholars are eligible for Summer funds, and can be included in this EVR.

Please make sure to read all the way through the instructions or watch the 5-min tutorial video to get a refresher on the process. These can be found in the Program Management section of our website.

The deadline to submit the Summer EVR is July 31, 2024.

Join us in Celebrating 12 Years of DACA this Week

June 15th is the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. We are utilizing this entire week as a Week of Action in Washington D.C. to uplift the stories of our Scholars and Alumni, their families, and their communities.

While we celebrate the incredible impact of DACA, our ask is for bi-partisan legislation that will give permanent protections for those with and without DACA or TPS.

Highlights from this Week of Action include:

• Monday (June 10) “From Brown to Dream: Commemorating the Fight for Inclusive Education” was a compelling panel discussion on the fundamental role the right to education has played in various civil rights movements. Hosted by Thurgood Marshall Institute, TheDream.US, Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, and Immigration Hub, this event explored the fundamental role the right to education has played across civil rights movements. From Mendez v. Westminster, which set the stage for Brown v. Board of Education, to Plyler v. Doe, panelists discussed the connections between Black and Latinx roles in civil rights litigation. Check out the recording here.

• Tuesday through Thursday (June 11-13) Bipartisan Congressional Advocacy Days - Throughout the week, DACA recipients, educators, and other leaders are meeting with bipartisan Members of Congress and their staff to discuss the critical need for a permanent legislative solution for Dreamers and DACA recipients. The advocacy meetings engage Members of Congress who have expressed an interest in reaching a bipartisan solution for Dreamers. 



• See profiles and stories here of TheDream.US Scholars and Alumni flying into Washington, DC for the DACA Anniversary Week.

As a Partner College of TheDream.US, we encourage you to spread the news about the anniversary and ways that your institution and leaders can show their support for DACA and undocumented students with and without DACA (or TPS). 

Here is a template press release that may be helpful and draft social media copy (be sure to use the hashtags #TheDreamUS #DACA12 and #DefendDACA) and tag TheDream.US social channels: Instagram: @thedream_us, Facebook: thedream.us, LinkedIn: thedream.us.

If your institution is planning on sending out a statement and/or social media supports, please contact michael@npagency.com.

Apply for up to $2,000 to host your own Career Development Event for Scholars regardless of work authorization. Events should focus on NEBOS, entrepreneurship, small business ownership, and independent contract work.

Check out our toolkit for helpful suggestions on event structures and key learning objectives. Application link here. 

You can apply now to reserve your funds for a summer or fall event. If you have questions, please contact chris.aviles@thedream.us.

New Scholar Onboarding - Office Hours #1/3 this Thursday

PC staff are invited to join us for our New Scholar Office Hours this month. This is a 3-part zoom series kicking off this Thursday, June 13th, from 6:00 pm to 6:30 pm ET. Each part will provide New Scholars with a foundation of the Scholarship and provide the opportunity to ask and get their questions answered in real time. 

This is a great opportunity for our PCs to learn more about the questions our New Scholars have on their mind before the semester starts. You can use this zoom link to join any or all of our sessions: June 13th, June 20th, and June 27th. No registration is needed.  

If you have any questions regarding these sessions, contact chris.aviles@thedream.us. 

Reminder: New Scholar Onboarding email #3/5 will be sent next Wednesday, June 19th. All onboarding emails will be posted on the "New Scholar Central" page on our website for reference. 

To ensure New Scholars receive all future communications, we have been reminding them to keep their email and cell phone number up-to-date in their ISTS Scholar Portal.

Graduate Loan Program Application is Open

The Dreamers Graduate School Loan application for the 2024-2025 academic year is open.

Please note:

• The loan program is open to scholarship recipients of TheDream.US, Golden Door Scholars, and Equal Chance for Education, as well as other college graduates with DACA or TPS
• Social Finance is the fund manager and Funding U, an education lending platform, is processing the applications and originating the loans.

Heads up: TheDream.US Alumni who take out any private student loan are eligible to apply for the Graduate Loan Scholarship. The application period will be June 17th to September 3rd this year.You can find the eligibility criteria and the link in the Scholar Hub here.

For all emails sent to Scholars, go here

For Past PC Weeklys, go here

For Calendar of Events, go here