The UW’s Dream Project conducted and hosted its Admissions Weekend this Saturday and Sunday in Mary Gates Hall in an effort to help low-income and first-generation college-bound students with the college admissions process.

The Dream Project is an undergraduate course that focuses on educational opportunity, social mobility and community service in the form of high school outreach, said program founder and UW senior Alula Asfaw. The student-led project works with a number of high schoolers from select school districts in the Seattle area, starting in their junior year. The program’s counselors meet with these students, called Dream Scholars, twice weekly through their junior year, culminating in Admissions Week their senior year.

“In addition to what the Dream Scholars get out of the [program], the staff learns equally as much,” Asfaw said. “It’s empathy building.”

The program consists of 150 students from three different school districts in the Seattle area, namely Renton, Chief Sealth and Foster high schools. The schools are selected based on a number of factors, including a low student-to-guidance counselor ratio and a high proportion of students who receive free or reduced school lunches.

The Admissions Weekend is an intensive workshop that assists students with several college admissions-related tasks, including college applications, preparation for standardized tests, how to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and how to apply for scholarships, Asfaw said.

“I would have never gotten help at school like this,” said participant Jasdeep Saran during a personal statement workshop. “I would have never sat down working on an essay from nine to four.”

The Dream Scholars do not have to apply to the UW, although most of them do, Asfaw said.

“I’m applying [to the UW], and the Dream Project has had a lot to do with it,” said participant Oscar Castro, Jr. “It makes you feel welcome, like the school is accessible.”

When the Dream Scholars were informed of the Husky Promise, a program developed to eliminate tuition costs for low-income students, the reaction was very positive, Asfaw said. Still, Saran said he worries about how participants in the Dream Project are perceived.

“We’re not just piss-poor and begging for a handout,” he said. “I’m looking for help.”

Saran said he appreciates programs like the Dream Project and the Husky Promise because they provide disadvantaged students with opportunities.

“There are a lot of people out there that are smart and belong in college, but they can’t afford it,” he said.

The Husky Promise makes the UW that much more accessible, so Dream Scholars are very excited, Asfaw said.

“I think it’s true that economic obstacles are some of the hardest obstacles to overcome,” he said.

Overall, Admissions Weekend was well received by the Dream Scholars.

“It’s a great program,” Castro said. “I’m always getting help, and everybody makes you feel so welcome.”

Saran agreed, saying he was grateful for the help he received.

“At least they’re giving up their weekend,” he said. “I should at least give up mine.”

For more information on the Dream Project, visit dreamproject.washington.edu.

Reporter Jeffrey Tripoli: jeffreytripoli@thedaily.washington.edu