Jesus Alejandre is a senior at Foster High School in Tukwila and hopes to be the first in his family to go to college. His father drives trucks, and his mother is currently unemployed, but they support his college aspirations.

“My parents always tell me to keep going to school and do the best I can so that I don’t end up working in bad-paying jobs,” he said.

That’s where the UW Dream Project steps in.

“We have an underlying philosophy,” said Stan Chernicoff, faculty adviser of the UW Dream Project. “The answer to every question is yes. At least we will try, we will figure it out.”

According to the group’s Web site, the Dream Project is a student-initiated high-school outreach program that partners UW students with first-generation and low-income students in Seattle-area high schools to assist in the college-admissions process.

This weekend’s fourth annual Admissions Weekend Workshop hosted more than 300 students ­— known as “Dream Scholars” — for two days of intense work on their college applications, Chernicoff said. The event was co-chaired by sophomore Nancy Tran and junior Cassandra Berhe-Tyner.

Senior Sam Lim, Dream Project class leader, said that this year’s workshop looked drastically different from previous years thanks to a grant by Seattle’s Lucky Seven Foundation. The added funds allowed the Dream Project to provide bus transportation to and from the event, form student committees to apportion tasks, book space in two campus buildings, and allow student access to computer rooms.

The event began on Saturday with a presentation in Kane Hall by Grant Twitchell, a UW admissions counselor who helped found the Dream Project as an undergraduate.

“The power of the Dream Project is students working with other students in the community, recognizing that there are some social inequalities facing students of all backgrounds,” Twitchell said. “The ultimate goal is to get students that may traditionally have not gone to college to actually find themselves in college classrooms and with a four-year degree.”

Twitchell mentioned that if Dream Scholars decide to come to the UW, they will already be a part of a community because of their involvement in the program.

“We are providing a network of support and awareness to make sure those students marginalized by the system will succeed,” he said.

Later, students moved to Mary Gates Hall where they met with their Dream Team leaders, participated in workshops focusing on higher education opportunities, and worked with writing tutors.

“It doesn’t have to be a stressful process,” Twitchell said. “Some people have come into this weekend with nothing written, no colleges chosen. By the time you leave, you can actually have your application done and enjoy your Thanksgiving break.”

Four years ago, about 30 students attended the workshop. This year’s event hosted roughly 10 times that number.

“This weekend epitomizes the mission of the Dream Project: We want to get students to college,” Lim said.

Two-year Dream Team member Oscar Castro personifies that mission. A junior business major and graduate of Chief Sealth High School in West Seattle, Castro came to the Admissions Weekend Workshop as a high-school senior and later joined the group once he was accepted to the UW.

“Spending one Saturday and one Sunday working on this is going to be a great investment for the rest of your life,” Twitchell said, and Castro’s story demonstrates just that.

“You can look at the situation as a student coming in; it’s a great transition into such a big community,” Castro said. “Dream Project is the path to get you there. You make so many connections.”

Castro said that he has used the leadership skills he gained working with the Dream Project in mentoring his younger siblings.

“To me, the Dream Project was like older siblings who would make sure I was on top of things,” he said. “Now I can do the same for other people.”

Chernicoff made sure the event ran smoothly and that all of the students received the help they needed.

“With this event, we want to say, ‘We are a warm place. We as a university care about you as an individual,’” Chernicoff said.

The Dream Project has taken a whirlwind course since its inception five years ago, growing from a single student’s idea for a small mentoring program to a group of about 220 UW mentors today.

“We are a college access and retention program,” he said. “But we flirt with the idea of becoming a college-prep program.”

A student group from Colorado State University also attended to observe the inner workings of the UW Dream Project. The group heard UW Dream Team members speak at a conference, and now they hope to use the UW’s model to form their own outreach program.

“What strikes me most is that their hearts are in the right place about it,” said Juwon Melvin, coordinator for scholar support and key outreach at Colorado State. “They want to help as many students as possible and to help other schools like us start programs of our own.”

Jenee Myers Twitchell, a UW graduate student and one of the founders of the group, said that Dream Projects are starting in five states right now. She wondered what the college system would look like if working with Dream Projects became the norm for all students heading to college.

“I think it will become a national phenomenon,” she said.

Reach contributing writer Christine Michelle Brauer at news@dailyuw.com.