Immigrants and Pell Grant?
Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 2:36 am
This is one of those things that I got in my email as a forward. Usually I junk them but since we have teachers here, I am hoping they can shed some light on whether or not there is any factuality in this piece. Thank you.
Do you know that we have
adult students at the school
where I teach who are not US
citizens and who get the PELL
grant, which is a federal grant
(no pay back required)
plus other federal grants to
go to school? One student
from the Dominican Republic
told me that she didn't want
me to find a job for her after
she finished my program,
because she was getting
housing from our housing
department and she was
getting PELL grant which
paid for her total tuition and
books, plus money left over.
She was looking into WAIT
which gives students a
CREDIT CARD for gas to
come to school, and into
CARIBE which is a special
program for immigrants and
it pays for child care and all
sorts of needs while they
go to school or training. The
one student I just mentioned
told me she was not going to
be a US citizen because she
plans to return to
the Dominican Republic
someday and that she "loves
HER country." I asked her
if she felt guilty taking what
the US is giving her and then
not even bothering to become
a citizen and she told me that
it doesn't bother her, because
that is what the money is
there for! I asked the CARIBE
administration about their
program and if you ARE a US
citizen, yu don't qualify for
their program. And all the
while, I am working a full day,
my son-in-law works more
than 60 hours a week, and
everyone in my family works
and pays for our education.
Something is wrong here.
Do you know that we have
adult students at the school
where I teach who are not US
citizens and who get the PELL
grant, which is a federal grant
(no pay back required)
plus other federal grants to
go to school? One student
from the Dominican Republic
told me that she didn't want
me to find a job for her after
she finished my program,
because she was getting
housing from our housing
department and she was
getting PELL grant which
paid for her total tuition and
books, plus money left over.
She was looking into WAIT
which gives students a
CREDIT CARD for gas to
come to school, and into
CARIBE which is a special
program for immigrants and
it pays for child care and all
sorts of needs while they
go to school or training. The
one student I just mentioned
told me she was not going to
be a US citizen because she
plans to return to
the Dominican Republic
someday and that she "loves
HER country." I asked her
if she felt guilty taking what
the US is giving her and then
not even bothering to become
a citizen and she told me that
it doesn't bother her, because
that is what the money is
there for! I asked the CARIBE
administration about their
program and if you ARE a US
citizen, yu don't qualify for
their program. And all the
while, I am working a full day,
my son-in-law works more
than 60 hours a week, and
everyone in my family works
and pays for our education.
Something is wrong here.