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Melissa Valasky

Dream Project

AAA

5/27/15

Final Reflection

Prompt 1: Community Colleges

Going to a community college can be a viable option. There are many pros and cons. Some

of the specific benefits of going to community college are cheaper tuition rates and flexibility. For

example, the cost of going to a two year community college is much cheaper than going to a four

year university. Also, you can get an Associate’s degree after only two years as oppose to spending

four years at a state university. Another benefit is that community colleges are located close by to

where you live which enables you to save even more money by living at home. This close location

also enables you to be able to go somewhere close to home if you want to or need to be close to

family members. However, there are some downsides of community college as well. For example,

the degree is not worth as much as going to a four year university in the eyes of many employers

because it may lack the prestige and amount of time spent getting an education. Also, living at

home may be a considered a downside for those who want the true “college experience” and would

prefer to live on campus. Furthermore, having to commute might also be a problem for those

without proper transportation or for those not able to drive. In order to transfer to a four year

university after completing an Associate’s degree, you can take advantage of the direct transfer

agreement. This agreement promises to help students in such situation transfer easily to any
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Washington state accredited four year university (except the University of Washington) given that

they maintain a certain grade point average.

Prompt 2: Allyship

A particular identity status that has institutionalized oppression is class. Marilyn Frye’s

bird cage analogy talked about how there are some things that you can’t break down, the walls of

the bird cage represent how some things are institutionalized. In addition, the bird cage analogy

talked about how we can’t always know what is going on outside of our bird cage. We can’t talk

about things we don’t know much about and that is privilege. For example, saying that I am able-

bodied is an identity status in which I experience institutional and systemic privilege because that

is the social normative and not something I will ever have to worry about. Another example, is

being raised in a middle class family. I think this identity influences my experiences as a mentor

because not all mentees will have grown up in the same type of family that I have and this might

make it harder for me to relate. Some specific ways that you can work to be a more effective ally

to people, both mentees and in general, who experience oppression around the identity status of

class would be to be understanding of their situation, try to provide empathy, and to not judge.

Prompt 3: Financial Aid and Undocumented Students

Some strategies for navigating a student in a situations in which they don’t think they afford

college would be to discuss financial aid options such as the WASFA (Washington state law from

2014 that grants state financial aid- State Need Grant- according to income to students are HB

1079 students and filled out the affidavit) for attending colleges in Washington State specifically.

It would be best to refer such students to a guidance counselor or a mentor who has had to go

through a similar experience themselves and have the knowledge to walk them through. There are
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ways to help these students still go to college because you don’t have to be documented to go. It

is best to not generalize and use language that implies assumptions because you don’t actually

know someone’s story as to why they might be undocumented. Students can become

undocumented for many reasons. For example, a student born in the U.S. without a birth certificate,

a student who arrives legally but overstays a temporary visa, or a student who crossing the border

unauthorized. There are also many reasons why a student may become undocumented such as

searching for a better life, uniting with family, and crime/poverty among many other reasons. In

order to best help someone who is an undocumented student, it is important to reassure Dream

Project’s mission, which is to provide resources and to assist low-income and first-generation high

school students in attaining higher education regardless of background because we want to see

everyone succeed. It is best to be open minded and to make information and resources easily

available to the student while providing hope and encouragement. One resource to suggest for

undocumented students is HB 1079 which is a Washington state law from 2003 that grants in-state

tuition to students who earned a WA high school diploma or GED, continually lived in WA from

three years prior to earning the diploma and by filling out the affidavit, promises that they’ll

become documented as soon as they can. There is also the DACA (Deferred Action) which is a

federal law from 2012 that prevents deportation and grants two year work permits for

undocumented immigrants who came to the US before turning 16 and are currently in school,

among other specific factors. One last resource for undocumented students are scholarships. There

is a thorough scholarship list kept by UW Bothell of scholarships that undocumented students can

apply to which is a great option. Overall, it is important to provide a safe place for a student if they

confide to you that they are undocumented and to point them in the right direction with the

resources mentioned above.

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