Creating and Sustaining Non Employment Based Opportunities for Undocumented Students

February 13, 2024

Undocumented Community of Practice

Today’s Agenda

Laura Bohórquez García

Co-Facilitator

Ivana Lopez Espinosa

Co-Facilitator

• Welcome
• Setting the Context
• Speaker Presentation
• Small Group Work
• Large Group Share Out
• Wrap Up & Next Steps

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• Honor the confidentiality of other people’s work and remember to credit and cite sources
• We have directly impacted practitioners and also allies who have been doing this work for a long time. Our goal is to make this a collaborative network where we hear everyone’s perspectives
• Add questions in the chat

Housekeeping and Reminders

• Change Zoom name to Name, State, Institution or Title
• Captions and transcription services are available to activate.
• The presentation portion of this meeting will be recorded and shared after the session
• Opt for respectful, constructive dialogue that emphasizes inquiry, listening, and understanding of differences

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Overview of the Undocumented Communities of Practice

• Stemmed out of the 2022 SUCCESS Convening
• The directory launched in April 2023

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Survey - Urgent Topic of Interest

• Income Generation/Entrepreneurship
• Financial Aid/Scholarships/Funding
• Career Counseling
• Legal Services/Immigration
• Policy Advocacy

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Meeting Goals

1. Learn from a practitioner about creating NEBOs,
2. Develop a plan to revise existing fellowship processes or establish inclusive NEBOs, and
3. Connect with practitioners across the US working to support undocumented students in higher education

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• NEBOs = Non Employment Based Opportunities, specifically for undocumented students
• Students are already engaged in these spaces (registered student organization leaders, volunteer opportunities, organizing, etc.)

Setting the Scene

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Important for…

• Skill development
• Financial stability
• Centering student wellbeing
• Visibility of their transferable skills
• Moving away from a culture of unpaid labor
• Continuing to build towards long term change

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Speaker

Jacky Neri Arias

Executive Director of Student Involvement and Inclusion Center for Cultural Liberation,

Dominican University

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An Inclusive Fellowship Model:

Non-Employment Based Opportunities (NEBOs)

Jacky Neri Arias (she/her/ella)

Executive Director of Student Involvement and Inclusion

What is a NEBO?

NEBO = Non-Employment Based Opportunity

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Inclusive experiential learning projects that develop students’ academic and professional skills

What is the difference?

Non-Employment Based Opportunity: Benefit is primarily to the student

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Employment-Based Opportunity: Benefit is primarily to the employer/agency

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(Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration)

Eligibility Criteria

• Open to all full time students
• No ITIN or SSN required
• Open to all faculty/staff

Scholar Expectations

• Find a mentor
• Design a project and complete application with mentor
• Complete and present project

Mentor Expectations

• Complete application with student
• Secure funding
• Provide resources, time, training, space, etc.

Application and Administration

1. Students attend design thinking workshops
2. Students express interest in NEBO to the NEBO coordinator
3. NEBO coordinator verifies funding eligibility with Financial Aid office
4. Students make connections with faculty or staff mentors
5. Students and mentors complete the application together
6. The application is reviewed by NEBO coordinator
7. If approved, students begin and complete project
8. Funding is disbursed each semester into student account

Examples

Project: Testing Polyethene Glycol (Research Fellowship)

• Stipend: $1200/semester
• Department: Chemistry Department 
• Mentor: Professor of Chemistry and Physical Sciences Department Chair

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Project: Story-Telling and Identity Exploration (Academic Learning and Application)

• Stipend: $400/semester
• Department: Fine Arts Department
• Mentor: Visiting Assistant Professor of Fine Arts and Filmmaker

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Building a Case for NEBOs

• DU is an HSI with ~65% of the student population identifying as Latine
• ~10% of DU students identify as undocumented
• Dream.US partnership brought large cohort of out-of-state scholars
• Less than half of the first-year cohort of Dream.US scholars has DACA
• Internal survey in 2020 indicated most prestigious and lucrative leadership opportunities were going to white students
• Predatory laws are pushing immigrants to look for educational, work and housing opportunities in immigrant-friendly states (FWD.us)

Lessons Learned

• EDUCATE, EDUCATE, EDUCATE!
• Gather buy-in from key stakeholders
• How is the money getting to students? What institutional boundaries exist currently? Where is the funding coming from? Who needs to say “yes” on your campus?
• Build a sustainable team and model to administer program
• Center student learning
• Use language strategically (e.g. award v payment; fellowship v job)
• Remain flexible with expectations and process
• Be sensitive to trauma students’ may have experienced

Current Status

Year One

• ~ 40 NEBOs
• ~ 40 students served
• ~ 10 mentors
• ~$12,000 in internal funding
• ~$10,000 in external funding

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Year Two

• 50+ NEBOs
• 60+ students served
• ~15 mentors
• $20,000+ in internal funding
• ~$22,000 in external funding

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Ice Breaker: What has been your most memorable job or internship, and why?

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Consider what you need to implement a NEBO at your institution. Utilize the Planning Worksheet to guide a discussion with your group.

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Take note of any questions and comments that would benefit from feedback. Bring them to the large group share out for discussion.

Breakout Group - 15 mins

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Open Discussion

• What were some common themes you noticed in the breakout groups?
• Questions
• Additional thoughts and feedback

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• FAQ on Experiential and Funding Opportunities for Undocumented Students: seeks to offer a framework for consideration of various approaches as institutions endeavor to increase access to funded experiential learning for undocumented students and to help them thrive on their campuses.
• Creating Inclusive Eligibility Requirements for Undocumented Students: tangible examples of inclusive eligibility requirements that the department of education, institutions, organizations and foundations have created for undocumented students.
• Creating Fellowship Programs: For Educational Institutions: overview of fellowships, which are often used in an educational context to support students in their studies or professional development and can provide a sum of money.

Resources

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Save the date for SUCCESS Convening 2024

When: March 29-30, 2024

Where: Rice University, Houston, Texas

Focus: Non-Employment Based Opportunities

and Post-Graduation Pathways

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Please submit your profile to the Undocumented Communities of Practice Directory if you haven’t already.

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Reminders

Upcoming Events:

• Traveling to Texas Info Session.on Tuesday, February 14, 2024, from 5:00-6:15 PM CT/6:00-7:15 PM ET. Register Now
• Please fill out the SUCCESS 2024 State of Play Survey to better understand the current state of play of institutional practices promoting equitable access to career success for undocumented students, regardless of immigration status.
• Train-the-Trainer workshop on February 22, 2024 from 6-7:30 pm at Texas Organizing Project’s Offices in downtown Houston 1610 Dumble St. Houston, TX 77023. This is a hybrid event so please join in person or virtually! Register Now

REGISTRATION OPEN!

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THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!

presidentsalliance.org

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