“If I can change the life of one person, if I can help one Sarahi out there and let them know they can go to college after high school, that’s success to me.”
- Sarahi Espinoza Salamanca
Is someone in your family getting ready to apply to college? Maybe your teenager is looking at school’s out of state or your young cousin is starting to think about their future career and what schools would benefit their education? This week we interview Sarahi Espinoza Salamanca, founder of DREAMer’s Roadmap. This free mobile app provides resources and helps undocumented students find scholarship opportunities for college. Sarahi talks to us about her own journey as an undocumented student, the inspiration behind creating the app and what high school & college students can do to make their college tuition life a little easier. Furthering your education can be a little confusing, but luckily Sarahi has created a helpful resource for any student looking for new opportunities!
More about Sarahi: Sarahi Espinoza Salamanca is the Founder and CEO of DREAMers Roadmap, a mobile app platform that helps undocumented students navigate the necessary resources to access higher education. This is Sarahi’s project for the past 4 years within a longer trajectory of activism within and for the undocumented community, which has placed her in the spotlight of continued conversations centered on national immigration policy.
Sarahi was a Champion of Change at the White House in 2014, has received 4 House of Representatives Awards, and was named in Forbes 30 under 30 in 2016. A former undocumented student who once had to drop out of school to support her family, Sarahi’s personal experience informs her unwavering vision: to help hundreds of thousands of students eliminate the barriers to success and achieve their full potential.
More recently Sarahi has directed two major campaigns serving minorities. #FirstOfTheMonth where she and two other local orgs Cosme together and raised 2.2 million dollars to help the most vulnerable of their neighbor who were impacted by covid and got no financial support. The other #Supplies4FarmWorkers a grassroots community-led campaign organized by 100% volunteers where we go to farmworker camps and fields to distribute backpacks, school supplies, PPE, and essentials. Serving families affected by the California fires and Covid19.
Tips for College Success from Sarahi
Be proactive!
Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Reach out to the Admission’s Office and EOPS offices.
Be persistent. Call, email and show up in person if possible.
If parents can’t make these calls due to language barriers, students need to make these call.
Check out FastWeb.com for random scholarships. Anything helps!
Links
Follow @dreamersroadmap on Instagram and Facebook.
Download the DREAMer’s Roadmap app from the Apple Store or Google Play for more information, scholarship opportunities, resources and events local to you and around the country.
