Announcement
This year, our goal is to provide at least 15 local refugee youth with college scholarships
Abdisalan (left) pictured at his high school graduation is a past IRC scholarship recipient. He says "I felt very blessed when I received the IRC Refugee Youth Scholarship. It allowed me to focus only on my studies and not worry about how I was going to pay for food, books, and transportation. I had a very successful freshman and sophomore year and will be transferring to San Diego State University next fall semester to major in business administration. The IRC Refugee Youth Scholarship and those who donated helped me reach this goal. Thank you."
Photo: IRC
Go to our Crowdrise campaign >
Youth arriving to the United States as refugees face many barriers as they enter the US education system, making the already-challenging middle and high school years even more difficult. Before they even arrive, many have experienced gaps in their formal education, sometimes missing years of school as they are forced to flee their homes, putting them behind for their grade level which is determined based on age, not aptitude. Adjusting to a new city and school is difficult enough for many children, but for refugee youth the transition includes learning a completely new culture and oftentimes a new languange. Needless to say, the hard work and dedication youth must exhibit to overcome these challenges is tremendous.
Through a combination of their own hard work and perseverence and support from programs offered through the IRC and other organizations, many students do succeed. Grateful for the opportunities available to them in the US, they have big dreams for their future careers and education. They have worked so hard to graduate high school, and they have no intention of stopping there.
A scholarship can make all the difference
Succeeding in the first year of college is both demanding and significant and a scholarship award can make all the difference. As students transition to college, limiting outside barriers is crucial to their success. A scholarship may help reduce the financial burden for a family, so that the student feels less pressure to get a job and can focus only on school during their first year. It may also lessen the concerns of how they can afford transportation, food, or those expensive text books, setting them up to succeed.
Help us reach our goal of providing 15 deserving youth with college scholarships this year!
Check out our Crowdrise campaign and:
- Click "Donate to this fundraiser" to contribute toward our goal
- Click "Fundraise for this campaign" to join our fundraising team and get your own networks involved
- Use the Facebook and Twitter buttons to share the campaign on your social media
