Dear Clint:

An open letter to an award-winning high school teacher that eloquently voiced frustration regarding the treatment of America's immigrant students.

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Institutional Effectiveness & Assessment
South Texas College
2501 W. Pecan Blvd.
McAllen, TX  78501
March 15, 2014



Clint Smith
Parkdale High School
6001 Good Luck Rd
Riverdale Park, MD 20737

Dear Mr. Smith:

Greetings from the Front Lines of the War for America's Future, otherwise known as Hidalgo and Starr Counties in Texas. My name is Paul Henley, and I am the Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Assessment at South Texas College. I would like to suggest a potential solution to alleviate your frustration. There is a new scholarship fund designed specifically for people like your student, Maria.

As the site states,

"TheDream.US is a new multimillion dollar National Scholarship Fund for DREAMers, created to help immigrant youth who’ve received DACA achieve their American Dream through the completion of a college education."

There are 1,000 scholarships, each worth a whopping $25,000. My employer, as well as our sister institution, the University of Texas-Pan American, are two of only 12 institutions eligible to accept students using these funds. At last count, we had six applicants, while UTPA had eight. Other eligible schools across the nation are seeing similar numbers. The deadline for applications is March 31, 2014. At this rate, it is quite possible that some of these substantial scholarships will go unclaimed.

It strikes me as odd that the solution for the student in question may be right in front of you. While I agree there is an enormous problem, it seems a shame to be ignoring a potential solution in favor of complaining eloquently about said problem. Please direct Maria to WWW.THEDREAM.US. South Texas College is an open enrollment institution, and somebody with this young woman's credentials would do well here. She then could transfer both her coursework and her remaining money to another fine institution less than 10 miles to the north to complete her degree. All at virtually no cost to her or her family.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 956-872-3508. We would be happy to assist you, the young scholar, and any other potential candidates. It would be appreciated if you could contact Upworthy's writer, Adam Mordecai, the promoter of your video. This would allow him to promote a real solution as emphatically as he publicized the problem. Your assistance is appreciated.

You have 16 days to make this happen. Maria is counting on you. Good luck.

Best,

Paul T. Henley, Ph.D.