Make college dreams a reality for Boston students!

Thousands of immigrants attend Boston’s high schools. They work hard and have big dreams, but at graduation time, many face a huge obstacle: If they’re undocumented, they don’t qualify for federal financial aid, and if they enroll in a public college in Massachusetts, many will have to pay out-of-state tuition.

Nationwide, only about 3% of undocumented students finish college, mainly because of the cost. The Unafraid Scholarship was created in 2017 by a group of teachers to help students from Boston Public Schools who’ve been accepted to college but aren’t eligible for federal financial aid. MIRA is proud to serve as fiscal sponsor and as a champion of the scholarship and the students it’s supporting.

The Unafraid Scholarship is open both to Boston Public School’s (BPS) graduating high school seniors and to BPS graduates who are already enrolled in college. Current beneficiaries are encouraged to reapply each year until they graduate.

Students submit their applications after they have been accepted to a college and received their financial aid package. As part of the application, they create a financial plan for getting through college, with support from their guidance counselor. Applications are reviewed by Boston teachers, who provide feedback and support to help them successfully complete the application.

In our first three years, the Unafraid Scholarship awarded $175,000 in scholarships to more than 70 students, including 2018 support from the Edelstein Family Fund that has now seeded a new Lawrence Unafraid Scholarship. [Watch videos: Emma, Drina and Marlon]

But we want to ensure that every one of the students we’ve invested in can complete their education, and we know that as word about the scholarship spreads, the number of applications is going to keep growing.

Will you join us to bring – and keep – college within these talented young people’s reach?

What can you do?

► Contribute today to the Unafraid Scholarship for the 2021–2022 term

► Support our campaign for in-state tuition for all Mass. high school graduates

► Urge the U.S. Senate to pass the Dream and Promise Act