Arabi Hassan (2019)
The Dreamers Resource Project
The Dreamers Resource Project is designed to provide a comprehensive pipeline to higher education and technical education for immigrant students at Van Nuys High School (VNHS), located in Los Angeles, California. This project specifically focuses on the needs of undocumented VNHS students. In partnership with various immigrant-serving non-profits in Los Angeles, the Dreamers Resource Center will offer programming that will educate students, staff, and parents about immigration policies and how undocumented students can pursue an education at a four-year university or technical school. In addition, the programs interactive professional and leadership development curriculum will help students prepare for life after high school. Given the immense legal, social, and political challenges facing undocumented communities today, this program seeks to create a meaningful and welcoming space for undocumented students to learn and reflect on their place in the immigration system and what that means for their future. Through proper education and dialogue about immigration policy and the obstacles facing undocumented immigrants, this project will empower students to be resilient and resourceful leaders in their communities.
For more information about the project, see https://www.firstgenempower.com/ and follow the project on Instagram .
Letters Home
Biography
Arabi Hassan is a first-generation immigrant from Bangladesh. Since moving to the United States at the age of ten, she has lived in a predominantly immigrant neighborhood in Los Angeles, which has exposed her to the myriad of challenges facing immigrant communities. In college, Arabi focused on advocating for immigrant and other marginalized communities through teaching and research. As an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, she was a project manager at the Human Rights Investigations Lab at Berkeley Law, where she co-lead over thirty students to complete investigations on suspected human rights violations and provide research support for asylum cases. In addition, as a researcher at the Berkeley Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative, she contributed to a project that highlights the shortage of legal and health resources for immigrants in the Bay Area. Arabi recently graduated from UC Berkeley in 2019 with a degree in Sociology. She intends to pursue a career in the legal field, advocating for policies and programs that will create a more equitable and effective immigration and education system.
