I remember getting a lot of glossy pamphlets from prospective colleges during my senior year of high school and thinking about what it might be like to spend four years of my life at each of them. I prided myself on being a good student, earning above-average grades in my school’s rigorous International Baccalaureate program. I was rewarded with acceptance letters from nearly every college I applied to.

But I soon learned that I was naïve to think that only hard work mattered in getting into the college of my dreams. In fact, one part of my background counted more than anything else — my immigration status.

Florida A&M University held its annual Day at the Capitol event during the evening on March 26. A showcase for departments, programs, and initiatives, students and alumni from across the state showed up to display their Rattler pride.

Students with the Florida Student Association representing public college and university students in Florida flocked to the Capitol on Wednesday, March 26 for their "Rally in Tally" event and press conference. Florida Student Association chair, Carlo Fassi gave an introduction before inviting Representative Jeannette Nuñez and Senator Jack Latvala to speak about their tuition equity bill. Also included in the list of priorities was increased state funding for capital projects and building improvements at colleges and universities across the state.

After the event, students wearing matching red "Rally in Tally" t-shirts visited legislators' offices to make their case and ask for support for their legislative agenda.

For more coverage, see this article from Tallahassee.com.

By Doug Blackburn

Star Manning came to Tallahassee to go to college because she wanted to be close to friends she made during her time as a U.S. Marine.

Manning, 31, a native of Los Angeles, first earned her associate’s degree at Tallahassee Community College. The GI Bill covered her school costs.

But when she transferred to the journalism program at Florida A&M, Manning was disappointed to learn that there was not enough money left in her GI Bill account to pay her tuition as an out-of-state student.

Both houses of the Florida Legislature are debating bills that would allow undocumented students to be eligible for in-state tuition at florida colleges and universities. 

H.B. 297 makes significant changes to Florida's Bright Futures Scholarship program, expanding eligibility for a lot of students. Check out our infographic on what the legislation does.

Brayan Vazquez, a student at Miami Dade College travels over 100 miles every Tuesday and Thursday just to get to school and back. It shouldn't be like this. Brayan is undocumented and was granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). He's been in Florida for the past 7 years and his only affordable option for college is Miami Dade because they allow Brayan to pay in-state tuition.

Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives Will Weatherford again expressed his support for in-state tuition for undocumented Floridian students. On the first day of the 2014 legislative session, Weatherford justified his position on the House floor by saying "We should never punish a child for the mistake of their parents."

From a March 4 Sunshine State News article:

As has often been the case since taking over their chambers after the 2012 election, Weatherford stressed he and Gaetz are mostly on the same page but the speaker also brought up an issue on which they differ by calling for the children of undocumented immigrants to receive in-state tuition at Florida’s colleges and universities.