Undocumented Student Emergency Fund
This emergency fund aims to support the persistence of undocumented SLCC students (with and without DACA) who have the desire and ambition to succeed in higher education, but who may be experiencing a recent and unexpected hardship. Members of mixed-status families attending SLCC, like U.S. citizen children of undocumented parents, TPS recipients, and asylum seekers are also eligible to apply for assistance as long as they have exhausted all other options for financial support.
The Undocumented Student Emergency Fund has received an influx of applications and we do not currently have the funding to meet the needs of applicants. As of January 9, 2023, all applicants have been placed on a waitlist and will be the first to hear about any changes in funding. If you have any questions about the waitlist for the Undocumented Student Emergency Fund, reach out to Brenda Santoyo at brenda.santoyo@slcc.edu.
About the Scholarship
The Undocumented Student Emergency Fund was established in honor of Luis Felipe Diaz Shimokawa (1947 - 2019):
Escaping economic and political turmoil, Luis Felipe Diaz Shimokawa immigrated to the United States in 1989 from Lima, Peru. He found a home in Salt Lake City and set forth on a journey to one day reunite with his family, especially his wife and three children. He knew an education would be key to accomplishing his goal and began attending Salt Lake Community College. Luis tirelessly worked three jobs to provide for himself and his family abroad, but he still found time to study. He began by taking ESL courses, and after a couple of years, enrolled in SLCC’s School of Applied Technology to pursue a short-term career. Upon completing his certificate, he found meaningful employment in the rising technical field in Salt Lake. Newfound economic opportunities soon allowed him to help his family immigrate to Utah in 1996.
Luis’ sacrifices were well worth it as his three children are all professionals now. All three of them followed in his footsteps and attended SLCC as young adults. Luis remembered his time at SLCC with gratitude for everyone who supported him and for the numerous opportunities it provided him and his family. Late into his life, you could still find him at the College taking classes alongside his wife. A teacher at heart and a life-long learner to his last days on this earth, Luis will always be remembered by his loved ones as someone who gave his time and energy to his community. He always offered a hand in times of need and stress. His spirit lives on in this fund.