Trevecca and Equal Chance for Education

     In 2015, Trevecca became a partner school with Equal Chance for Education, a non-profit organization that supports undocumented and DACA students in Tennessee. ECE provides scholarships, mentoring and student-centered programming for its recipients. 

     Because of scholars’ mixed immigration statuses and individual circumstances, ECE asks each scholar how they can best be supported and thus creates programming to fit their needs.

     In addition to scholarships, ECE also provides additional financial support, life guidance, resources for appropriate and affordable immigration attorneys, resources for accessible healthcare, and creating community by matching each scholar with a peer mentor. 

     Trevecca was ECE’s third partner school however it quickly became the largest and most supportive campus across the state. Currently, there are 71 ECE scholars at Trevecca. Executive director, Molly Haynes, said the university’s location provides a sense of security, as students are within driving distance and in a safe community they are familiar with. 

     “Trevecca provides a welcoming, inclusive campus largely credited to the morals of the institution itself - with a Christ-centered approach of loving their neighbor,” she said. 

     For 4 years, Trevecca offered ECE office space on campus. Thanks to the close proximity, Haynes was able to connect with and support scholars as well as faculty and staff.

     “I watched as admissions counselors welcomed entire families, oftentimes lots and lots of younger siblings, to make first-generation parents feel comfortable on campus in taking this next step. I watched firsthand how teachers and faculty familiarized themselves with our scholars and took the time to get to know them as people, not just as their students.,” said Haynes.

     Faculty received training on how to work with ECE scholars, understand culturally appropriate language and how to locate resources. When the future of DACA was threatened, there was a campus-wide response by creating spaces for prayer and grieving. During the pandemic, Trevecca was able to create funding opportunities when mixed immigrant status families were excluded from federal assistance. 

     Haynes said it is important to note the value that ECE scholars bring to college campuses across the state. ECE scholars obtain their degrees with above 3.0 GPA’s and alumni have gone on to work in finance, education, IT, nursing, and social work among other fields. 

     “Without the support of Christian campuses such as TNU, the future of these young people would look very different,” she said.