This year, nearly 1 in 3 of our students earned full scholarships to college this fall! We are excited to celebrate each of these students, whose courage and determination - along with the support of hundreds of family members, friends, and professors and staff at Freedom University - helped them achieve their dream of going to college.

This week, we celebrate Nuria, who received a full scholarship to attend Middlebury College in Vermont! Nuria is deeply loved and respected by her classmates at Freedom University, where she is known for her generous mentorship of new students, her principled leadership on the student committee, her unmistakable laugh in dance class, and her mad pancake making skills at student retreats. Nuria has overcome immeasurable obstacles on her journey to college. She graduated summa cum laude from high school despite having a learning disability. She excelled in her studies at Freedom University despite working a full-time job to support her single-parent household. And when her greatest fear became a reality when her mother was detained by ICE, Nuria reached out to Freedom University staff and worked with community allies for months to secure her release. Nuria exemplifies what makes many Freedom University students so remarkable: that despite the fear and uncertainty she faces as an undocumented student, and the cruelty she has endured in the country she calls home, she is able to find the courage to lead with compassion in the fight for undocumented students’ human right to education.

At Middlebury, Nuria looks forward to taking classes in Political Science and Sociology, participating in immigrant rights student groups, and taking advantage of all of the new learning opportunities a small liberal arts college has to offer. After growing up in Georgia, Nuria is a bit nervous for the cold New England winters, but all of us at Freedom University will make sure she has the right parka and boots to keep her warm!

Congratulations, Nuria! We are so proud of all you have already accomplished and look forward to watching you as you continue to learn and grow at Middlebury College!

To support Freedom University's educational programs, please visit: www.freedom-university.org/donate