LUPE program to help students go to college

La Unión Del Pueblo Entero is accepting Spring 2023 applications from migrants, first-generation and low-income high school juniors and seniors to participate in the ‘¡Al Colegio, Si Se Puede!’ college access program.

Carla Ocadiz, education equity specialist at LUPE, said the program has three major components.

“The first one would be our program sessions, which will be our monthly meetings in which we will deliver the curriculum,” Ocadiz said. “Our second component is case management, which is our one-on-one advisements with students, and then the last one will be community engagement.”

The components work together to develop the areas of education, careers, leadership and foundational skills.

“We are here to provide the proper resources so they can have a better transition from high school to college,” Ocadiz said. “Some of the topics are, you know, financial aid. A lot of undocumented students don’t know that they can attend college and actually receive funding for their school. So, it’s just delivering the proper resources so that the students can succeed on their journey to college.”

Applicants must be high school juniors or seniors for the 2022-2023 school year, attend a high school in the Rio Grande Valley and be at least one of the following: undocumented, DACA recipient, first generation or low income, and become a LUPE member, according to lupenet.org.

“They would have to become LUPE members, and for students, it’s $20,” Ocadiz said. “With their LUPE membership, they have access to the program and they also have a free consultation with our immigration lawyer.”

The deadline to submit the application is Feb. 8. To apply, visit the LUPE website.

The program starts Feb. 11 and continues until June. 

Program sessions take place twice a month from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturdays at LUPE headquarters, located at 1601 U.S. Bus. 83 in San Juan.

The incentive is $100 for every student who completes the program and gas cards at the end of every session to qualifying students.

As a DACA recipient, Ocadiz encourages students to apply.

“I know that when I was in high school, I would have benefited from this program because I had to figure out a lot of the resources that were out there on my own,” she said. “And, so, having this extra support would have been amazing.”

Christopher Jerez said his experience in “¡Al Colegio, Si Se Puede!” 2022-2023 program was “spectacular.”

“They have helped me a lot with all the procedures regarding school,” Jerez said. “But what I liked the most about this program is that they make you feel at home, because when you live with other young people who are going through the same situations, it makes you feel more confident and happy because you know you are not the only one.”

America Hernandez said her experience in the 2022-2023 program helped her.

“My personal experience has been extraordinary,” she said. “I had the slightest idea of the steps to follow on a long journey, only what they explained to us in my school but, in fact, it is more complicated. 

“In ‘¡[Al] Colegio, Si Se Puede!,’ they gave us the steps and accompanied us in the process. For example, I called over and over again and they always answered my questions and in the meetings, they [brought] a lot of information and [allowed] us to express all our doubts, and the process [is] confidential.”