Sarahi Espinoza Salamanca's plans to attend college evaporated when, as a high school senior, her mother revealed that, unbeknownst to her, she was not living in the U.S. legally. Using her personal story for inspiration, she went on to launch DREAMer's Roadmap, a nonprofit mobile app that works to help undocumented students find scholarships to go to college.
Espinoza Salamanca was the daughter of undocumented immigrants and was able to obtain DREAMER status — an acronym for Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors. She arrived in this country when she was 4 years old and like most other Dreamers, she was able to attend both elementary and high school, not realizing her status in this country.
"For me, growing up in this country from such a young age and going through the whole experience, K-12, I didn't really think that I was any different from all of my classmates," said Salamanca.
It wasn't until graduating high school that she was faced with the inevitable truth. Like many of her peers, she began applying to colleges with aspirations to make something of herself. Soon after, she received a notice in the mail saying her financial aid application was incomplete because it was missing her social security number.
Salamanca then called up her parents who explained that she was not in the country legally and was not able to obtain a social security number. In desperation, she went to her counselor, hoping for some helpful advice, but she recalls the counselor, telling her that "people like [you] don't go to college." For Salamanca, it "was a very hard pill to swallow."
Subsequently, she made a contact who shared that it is possible for DREAMers to go to college, and even obtain in-state tuition in some states, including California, where she lived. She has since used that knowledge to develop the DREAMer's Roadmap app, which helps undocumented students find college scholarships. The app was launched in 2016 and has so far provided information to more than 30,000 students, said Espinoza Salamanca.
"The whole idea behind DREAMers roadmap was to create a database where all of these scholarships would be housed and students all over the country could just download this app and have access to scholarships that they were eligible for to continue their education if that's what they wanted after high school," she said.
She says many parents arrive in the U.S. for better lives not just for themselves, but also for their children, and education can play a big role in that. "For us, it's wonderful that we have that opportunity to be able to be a little part in that success story for immigrants across this country," she said.
While managing the app, Salamanca is also involved in other entrepreneurial projects. She most recently launched the fund, #Supplies4FarmWorkers, which collects food, PPE, and school supplies for farmworkers affected by wildfires.
"It just hit me, 'What can we do to help them?' and being that DREAMer's Roadmap's mission is a lot about education, and immigrant families and most of these farmworkers are immigrants and undocumented, it just aligned perfectly," she said. "It was like a lightbulb moment."
Salamanca said the effort, that began about a month ago, has already handed out more than $50,000 worth of supplies to farmworkers' families.
Prices at the pump have escalated severely during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Paul Christopher, head of global market strategy, Wells Fargo Investment Institute, joined Cheddar News to explain how he sees the gas prices continuing to spiral despite the International Energy Agency announcing the release of 60 million barrels of oil from the strategic reserves of 31 countries. "We think you could see oil and gas prices continue to rise. Oil prices maybe could hit $140 a barrel. That's possible. And that would add another 50-60 cents on top of the gasoline prices you already have," he said.
President Joe Biden is set to give his first State of the Union address amid both international and domestic crises: the Russia-Ukraine conflict and continued rising inflation and economic worries at home. He's expected to focus on a four-point plan to reduce everyday costs, and promote economic competition, among other key tenets. But will it be enough to persuade Americans that his administration will be able to get rising prices and foreign policy moves under control? Eugene Scott, national politics reporter at The Washington Post, joins Closing Bell to discuss Biden's expected focus, how he will aim to ease Americans' concerns, and more.
Dr. Daniel Bober, psychiatrist and certified addiction medicine physician, joins Cheddar News to offer tips on how parents and guardians can talk to their children about what's happening in Ukraine.
While crypto exchanges have been used to aid Ukraine amid the Russian invasion, critics point to possible sanction evasion on the Russian side using the same technology. Cheddar's Alex Vuocolo takes a closer look.
Airbnb.org has announced that it will provide up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees with free housing. Airbnb.org is the philanthropic branch of Airbnb that provides free housing for those affected by disasters. Joe Gebbia, co-founder and chairman of Airbnb.org, joined Cheddar News to talk about how the company has helped thousands find shelter in times of crisis. "A lot of people are saying this conflict is likely to be the largest humanitarian crisis since World War II, and I believe Airbnb believes that companies have a responsibility to step up and to help out in times like these," he said.
The International Energy Agency’s 31 member countries have agreed to release 60 million barrels of oil from their strategic reserves “to send a strong message to oil markets” that supplies won’t fall short after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Every ten years, there’s a census. That decennial count is long and tedious and arduous…and important. Because it confirms who lives where so the Federal Government properly allocates resources, so services go to the places that need them most and - yes - so states gain or lose seats in congress and have the opportunity to redraw all their state and Congressional lines.
That means, every 10 years, states start what has famously been one of the most partisan and divisive processes in politics. Because one strategic line can mean the difference in party control in not just the state legislatures but also in congress.
Cheddar explains how gerrymandering works and why it exists.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted blood donations leading to severe shortages throughout the country. Chloe Aiello reports on the desperate need for new donors.
Russian forces escalated their attacks on populated urban areas Tuesday, bombarding the central square in Ukraine’s second-largest city and Kyiv’s main TV tower.
