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Inspired Blog3 Things: Maggie & Teresa

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Golden Door Scholars, launched in 2013, provides scholarship and career opportunity to undocumented students.   

Since 2013, Golden Door has awarded 473 four-year scholarships and has seen applications from nearly 10,000 other high-achieving applicants. The team has created a community of students who believe in themselves and support each other.  That community includes our two guests today, Maggie and Teresa. 

To fully appreciate this conversation though,  it’s important to understand the bigger picture. 

If you watch the news, you’ve likely seen stories about  DACA –  which is an abbreviation for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. DACA was created via Executive Order in 2012 and made it possible for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the US as children to apply for driver’s licenses, social security numbers, and work permits. 

DACA has provided temporary relief from deportation as well as work authorization to approximately 800,000 undocumented young people across the country and as research has consistently shown, it has not only improved the lives of undocumented young people and their families but has also positively affected the American economy.

Since 2012, DACA has been challenged in many ways. Most recently, in July of 2021, a Federal Judge ruled DACA illegal and the program stopped accepting applications. There are now 98,000 undocumented high school seniors graduating without a legal path to work. 

But this isn’t just about DACA; in the 10 years since this ‘temporary’ solution was put into place, Congress has failed to pass legislation that would create a permanent solution or a path to citizenship.  

Today’s episode is dedicated to the hundreds of thousands of people whose future has been in limbo for more than a decade, and for those who are waiting, working and wishing for a chance at the American dream. It’s time their voices were heard.

This is 3 Things, with Maggie & Teresa.

Listen here:

I shared my platform today because these young people have endured more than a decade of uncertainty, sacrifice and missed opportunities, because we have failed to hold our elected officials accountable  

If you feel the same way, contact your Congress person and tell them where you stand. 

We must use our platforms, our voices, our power, for those who do not have that same privilege.

We can’t let hope expire.

About 3 Things

Ric Elias learned 3 things from surviving the Miracle on the Hudson. Now he’s sharing conversations with remarkable people, and 3 things we all can take away from each.


Hear more from Ric by following him on Twitter and on Instagram.

About the Author:
Ric Elias | Co-Founder & CEO
Ric Elias

Ric Elias is CEO and co-founder of Red Ventures, a portfolio of digital companies headquartered in Charlotte, NC. In 2009, Elias survived Flight 1549, the "Miracle on the Hudson,” which led to his viral TED Talk, "3 Things I Learned While My Plane Crashed." In 2011, Ric was named Ernst & Young National Entrepreneur of the Year, and in 2016 he was inducted into the Carolinas Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. Ric has founded several social impact initiatives including Road to Hire, a 501(c)(3) that connects young adults with on-ramps to professional development and high-earning careers. A native of Puerto Rico, Ric attended Boston College and Harvard Business School.

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