“We Are Home” Essay Contest

All submissions are due by October 15, 2021 at 11:55 PM EST

In recent years, the term DREAMer has emerged as a way to describe undocumented, DACAmented, or documented immigrants who grew up in the United States as children but do not have a path to citizenship. In spite of growing up in the United States and largely identifying as Americans, thousands of South Asian DREAMers face numerous obstacles including constant uncertainty over their status and whether they face deportation.  

To raise awareness and highlight the issues faced by South Asian DREAMers (documented and undocumented), Indian American IMPACT presents the “We are Home” Essay Contest.  

Prompt:

Since its founding, immigrants have flocked to America in pursuit of opportunity and the promise of the American dream. 

Drawing on your own personal experiences, write an essay that conveys how your status as a Dreamer has affected your life, goals, and view of what citizenship in America means to you. 

Are you Eligible?

  • The applicant’s national origin must be a South Asian country. 
  • The applicant must be aged 16-24 and be currently enrolled in a high school or college in the United States.
  • DREAMER Status: Applicant must have DACA, TPS or be undocumented, meaning currently do not have lawful status in the United States OR have grown up in the United States as the dependent of a nonimmigrant visa holders such as the H1B, E-1, E-2, L2, R, O, or U visa, and face(d) ageing out of their status at age 21 (“Documented Dreamers”).

*If  you have any questions or concerns about your eligibility email dreamer@iaimpact.org 

Prizes and Benefits

Cash Scholarship

  • Up to $5,000 for the first place winner

Winners and top 10 finalists

To learn more about the contest rules, click here.  

To view the scoring rubric, click here. 

To spread the word about the contest, use our toolkit here. 

For our printable one page flyer, click here. 

For other scholarship resources, please visit our partners at www.thehiddendream.org