Migrant Scholarships Easy for Immigrant Students

Students offer a variety of easy scholarships assistance to immigrant students to further their education.

migrant scholarships
Migrant Scholarships

Geneseo Migrant Center Scholarships for Migrant Students offer a variety of easy scholarships for financial assistance to immigrant students with a desire to further their education. Prospective scholarship candidates may come from anywhere in the country and must show a recent or continuing history of moving in order to obtain work in agriculture.

The first of the migrant scholarships to be offered was the Joseph Mattera National Scholarship Fund for Migrant Children. The scholarship was started in 1974 in honor of the father of the center’s founder, Dr. Gloria Mattera. Later, the name of the scholarship was updated to include Gloria Mattera following her death in 1988. Throughout the years, the number and size of the immigrant scholarships awarded has grown in light of the generous donations of many individuals, along with fundraising activities.

The Gloria and Joseph Mattera National Scholarship Fund for Migrant Children has a value of between $250 and $500. 75 to 100 of these easy scholarships for migrant students are awarded annually. There is no deadline to apply for the scholarship. An essay must be submitted to apply along with one letter of reference.

The Frank Kazmierczak Memorial Migrant Scholarship has a value of $1,000. Only one of these immigrant scholarships is awarded on an annual basis. The deadline to apply for this scholarship is February first. An essay and two letters of reference must be submitted to apply. Students must have a desire to be a teacher to receive this minority scholarship.

The Migrant Farmworker Baccalaureate Scholarship has a value of $20,000. One such scholarship is awarded annually. The deadline to apply for this scholarship is July 1st. Applicants must submit one essay and three letters of recommendation. Applicants must have completed one year of college.

The Berrien Fragos Thorn Arts Scholarship for Migrant Farmworkers has a value of up to $2,500. The number of migrant scholarships awarded is at the discretion of the scholarship committee. For easier scholarships under $500 there is no deadline to apply. For scholarships over $500, the applications deadlines are June 1st and November 1st. Applicants do not need to submit an essay, but do need to submit one letter of reference along with a portfolio, video or samples of work.

The Margaret Rayley New York State Migrant Student Scholarship is given in order to recognize educational achievement in migrant farmworker students who have a history of migrating to or within the state of New York. This scholarship has a value of $500 and is offered annually to one student or may be divided among two or more students. The deadline to apply is April 15th.

The Friends of Senator Jack Perry Migrant Scholarship honors migrant farmworker students from New York State who need scholarship assistance. The deadline to apply for this scholarship is April 15th. Students must demonstrate a financial need to qualify for this migrant scholarship.

The Aurelio “Larry” Jazo Migrant Scholarship is given as a memorial to Aurelio “Larry” Jazgo, who was a long-time migrant educator. The scholarship has a value of $500 and is awarded to a migrant farmworker student who has recently migrated to Illinois for the purpose of agricultural employment. Applicants must also demonstrate scholastic achievement and financial need. The deadline to apply is May 15th.

The Robert Apicella Good Samaritan Migrant Scholarship recognizes a migrant farmworker senior high school student from the state of New York who requires post-secondary scholarship assistance. Applicants must also have demonstrated a giving and caring attitude to their community or another individual. The easy scholarship has a value of $500. The application deadline is April 15th.

The Juanita Crippen Memorial Scholarship recognizes a senior high school student from a migrant farmworker family in St. Lawrence, Franklin or Clinton Counties, New York. The value of the scholarship is $500. Applicants must also have demonstrated a giving and caring attitude to their community or another individual. The deadline to apply for this Geneseo Migrant Center Scholarship for Migrant Students is April 30th.

Unusual Scholarships for Undocumented Students

Scholarships for undocumented students are a necessity for immigrants who have not legally registered as citizens or residents in the country they reside in.

scholarships-for-undocumented-students
Undocumented Student Scholarships

Scholarships for undocumented students are, in many cases, a necessity for who have not legally registered as citizens or residents in the country they reside in. Many unique scholarships are available for legal residents only, making finding financial aid for undocumented immigrants at times incredibly difficult. Fortunately there are some unusual college scholarships for undocumented students available through various programs which help get around this problem for those interested in pursuing a degree from a college.

While not all of these undocumented student scholarships are specific, their lack of residential requirement makes them open to all students from a diverse background. Most of them are available specifically to migrant students or workers, so the application pool is not going to be so large as to be daunting. Though there are not nearly as many scholarships for undocumented students as there are for residents of a given country, this should not deter those interested in higher education from seeking financial aid.

Since students loans often require citizenship or valid tax identification numbers, undocumented students are going to have a harder time finding student loans which would otherwise help offset the need for undocumented scholarships. Because of this, undocumented students should seek out migrant oriented minority scholarships and apply to as many for which they are eligible, maximizing their chances for financial aid in the long run.

One of the best college scholarships for undocumented students out there has to be the Chicano Organizing and Research in Education (CORE) Que Llueva Café Scholarship. Their third annual minority scholarship specifically targets undocumented students who have not yet entered college but are interested in higher education. In their first year, CORE gave out up to $7,000 to needy students and then up to $9,000 in their second. CORE constantly tries to give out as much money as they can, though they are limited by the amount of donations to their migrant scholarship program which they receive. They strive to increase their amounts every year and though awards have not been announced for 2011, it is expected that they will either maintain previous amounts or go above them. Though targeted at undocumented students, the CORE scholarship requires that all applicants be of Chicano or Latino descent. Students must have been born outside of the US, but reside in the country without the legal consent of the government. All students must be enrolled in high school or have attained their GED and are enrolling in college for the first time at the moment of applying. On top of these factors, students must also demonstrate a financial need and show academic strength in their transcripts. When submitting their applications, students should submit a personal statement outlining their individual story and detailing their academic interests while also submitting at least one letter of recommendation. The deadline for the CORE scholarship is Febraury 25, 2011.

Another unusual scholarship for undocumented students would be the Migrant Farmworker Baccalaureate Scholarship. This program offers migrant workers who have already spent some time in college up to $2,000 in financial aid. Students must show a recent history of movement for migrant work, academic achievement, a sincere financial need and be able to provide an example of the successful completion of at least one year of higher educational studies. When applying for the program, applicants should find three letters of recommendation, write a personal essay indicating why they are seeking the migrant scholarship, and provide a Migrant Education Certificate of Eligibility. The deadline for this program is July 1 every year.

Students should always keep their eyes peeled for additional scholarship opportunities because there are many out there beyond those listed in this article. It is important to find and apply to as many undocumented student scholarships as possible, less you find yourself denied for a few you applied to and left without much some needed financial aid. It can be difficult at times to be both undocumented and a student in the United States, or anywhere for that matter, so making higher educational goals more easily attainable by finding decent unusual scholarship programs should be a top priority.