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Missouri scholarship 'A-plus' program opening up to immigrant students

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The Missouri Department of Higher Education is opening up a community college scholarship program to young adults who were brought to the United States illegally as children.

That means students who qualify for the program, called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, will be able to trade tutoring hours for two years of tuition reimbursement through the A+ Scholarship Program. 

The deferred action program is tied to an Obama administration initiative that started in 2012. 

"Through extensive research and consulting with attorneys who specialize in immigration law, it is my belief that individuals who have met the requirements for (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) can provide federally issued documentation that confirms lawful presence in the United States," writes department General Counsel William Thornton in an email.

It's up to the Department of Homeland Security to grant status for the deferred action program.

Jessica Piedra, a Kansas City immigration attorney, helped petition for a change in the A+ program rules.

"These particular students have given back to their students with the tutoring hours and have really earned this scholarship," says Piedra.

Piedra says many Missouri students who qualify for the program are the first in their family to go to college and wouldn't be able to afford it without the A+ scholarship.

Copyright 2014 KCUR-FM. To see more, visit http://www.kcur.org/.

Elle covers education for KCUR. The best part of her job is talking to students. Before coming to KCUR in 2014, Elle covered Indiana education policy for NPR’s StateImpact project. Her work covering Indiana’s exit from the Common Core was nationally recognized with an Edward R. Murrow award. Her work at KCUR has been recognized by the Missouri Broadcasters Association and the Kansas City Press Club. She is a graduate of the University Of Missouri School Of Journalism. Elle regularly tweets photos of her dog, Kingsley. There is a wounded Dr. Ian Malcolm bobblehead on her desk.
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