7thriv

Illegal immigrants do not qualify for federal financial aid, and those living
in Rhode Island, as in 39 other states, do not qualify for in-state tuition at
public universities. Since out-of-state tuition is about three times as high as
in-state, many young immigrants forgo higher education.

Mr. Lakin, a 26-year-old history teacher at Hope High School here, is out to
change that.

“One of my students has been here since she was 1 year old, but she can’t
afford to pay the out-of-state rate to a university in a place she’s grown up
in,” Mr. Lakin said. “Her mother has a work permit and pays taxes here, yet her
daughter is essentially denied access to higher education.”