Since New York passed the Jose Peralta DREAM Act in 2019, making immigrant students eligible for state-administered financial aid they were previously cut off from, more colleges and organizations have opened their doors so undocumented students can access scholarships.
In its push to expand, the school faces residual distrust from earlier development projects. We visited two recent university construction sites to see what it’s like to be NYU’s next-door neighbor.
For her mere 20 years, Gina Ortiz speaks with the polish and poise of a person used to impressing her elders. She says she loved the small public high school she attended—Riverdale-Kingsbridge M.S./ H.S. 141 in the west Bronx. She aspired to attend Boston University or Northeastern, en route to a career in government or law enforcement. Those schools didn’t accept her, so, with her regents diploma in hand, she enrolled at John Jay College to begin her postsecondary education. Well, sort of.
Increasing higher ed opportunities behind bars lowers recidivism rates and incarceration costs over the long run, say advocates.
It’s not always an easy transition, but many administrators and fellow students are trying to help.
John Jay College program helps ex-cons get B.A.s.
Columbia University plans to build a new campus in Harlem, using eminent domain if necessary. Local residents and businesses are proposing an alternative: campus and community coexistence.
Don’t call the City University of New York an ivory tower. The school’s new, wide vision of higher education has resulted in a wealth of job-training programs.
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