Danae gets ready to Squat
Iron Maidens 2018: DACA Youth Need Help
By Danae Mcleod, Executive Director of Grace Outreach
Reposted from NYNMedia
Throughout the United States, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival students are not eligible for state or federal financial aid of any kind to help them cover college expenses. That makes it very difficult to complete a degree.
Many DACA students pay for college on their own dime. Many of them can pay lower in-state tuition if they attend college in their home state. However, a recent decision by the Arizona State Supreme Court makes DACA youth who live in the state pay out-of-state tuition prices. More than ten other states have passed similar laws. Thankfully, New York has not, but it is painfully clear that there are people who wish to make it even harder for undocumented immigrants and DACA youth to get to college.
Nearly all DACA youth pay taxes. They are given temporary social security numbers and required by law to file their income taxes. Yet they are still not covered for certain civic benefits like post-high school education.
So how do DACA youth and undocumented immigrants make it through higher education while paying out of pocket? The direct answer is most do not. According to TheDream.US, only 5 to 10 percent can afford college.
There are many great scholarships for undocumented youth wanting to further their education. TheDream.US awards some 3,000 scholarships to those who are either high school or community college graduates, or students who live in states where they cannot access in-state tuition. Golden Door and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation are two others. However, these scholarships are extremely competitive and not sufficient to meet the needs of the more than one million Dreamers estimated to currently be living in America.
Nearly four years ago, I started working at Grace Outreach, a nonprofit in the South Bronx that works with women who want to earn their high school equivalency degrees, go to college, and get jobs. I have met hundreds of smart, talented and motivated women who want to improve their lives through education – but most of them are DACA youth and undocumented women who came to the U.S. as children. As such, many of them are ineligible for financial aid.
I started looking for ways to help. We started by applying for all of the scholarships for undocumented youth. None of our students received a scholarship, in part due to the incredibly competitive nature of these applications.
In 2015, I started talking to a close friend, Margie Lempert, about my students’ dilemma. Lempert runs a women’s powerlifting event called the Iron Maidens Raw Open every year at CrossFit South Brooklyn. She wanted to add a fundraising component to this incredible day showcasing women’s strength. We thought that the grit and determination that it took for undocumented women to get to college matched the strength and tenacity that women powerlifters demonstrate. Together we created the Stay Strong Scholarship to support undocumented women at Grace Outreach. The money raised pays for 80 percent of college tuition for selected undocumented students and DACA youth.
In the two years since Grace Outreach and Iron Maidens started the Stay Strong Scholarship, we have raised over $65,000 and sent 10 women to college. So far two students have graduated with associate’s degrees and moved on to bachelor’s programs. We currently have five students making their way through City University of New York community colleges with GPAs more than 3.0.
Now more than ever, the undocumented community needs our support. There are many great organizations out there supporting DACA youth but the need is still so great. We must provide more avenues of support to the undocumented people in our city who are living, working, paying into our tax system, and trying to better their lives through education.
This year, our goal is to raise $40,000 to continue supporting these students. Right now we’re at $8,948 raised. Can you help us get there? Help DACA youth by donating to your favorite CFSBK lifter(s) or directly to Grace Outreach through the 2018 Crowdrise campaign here.
News and Notes
- Register for our upcoming Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Fundamentals class with Coach Callie Brennan! Fundamentals is your jiu-jitsu starter pack. The course is geared towards anyone intrigued by BJJ but unsure where to begin, anyone who wants to become better acquainted with dynamic movement on the ground. By the end of the course, you will be at the point where you can walk into a live-sparring Jiu Jitsu class without reservation.
- Interested in volunteering to help out at Iron Maidens? Fill out this form!
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Yesterday’s Results Board: Bench Press / Lateral Lunge | Toes-to-Bars, Push-Ups, Sit-Ups, Squats
Deadlift Setup Fix Starting Strength
The Overlooked Importance of Parasites JSTOR Daily
Wednesday’s Programming
FRONT SQUAT / SINGLE-ARM RING ROW SUPERSET*
A1) Front Squat:
4 x 5-8
A2) Single-Arm Ring Row:
4 x 5-8
Use a heavy load (or degree of difficulty for the Ring Row) for the rep range that allows you to move with perfect form, heavier than last week. Keep rest to a minimum, 30-60 seconds between movements. If the Clean is the limiter in how much weight you’ll be able to Front Squat, and you feel like they’ll be too easy for 5-8 reps, perform them at a 31X0 tempo.
*Warm up and then perform a set of Front Squats, followed by a set of Ring Rows, heavier than last week. Repeat for 4 work sets of each, resting 30 seconds to a minute between movements.
Post loads to comments.
Exposure 8 of 8
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For Time:
30 Power Cleans 115/75
30 Push Jerks
The load should be light, and you should be fast, scale accordingly. The Push Jerks are “shoulder-to-overhead anyhow.” Be sure to fully stand up on all 60 reps.
Post time and Rx to comments.
AG
A.
2 sets
5 hanging leg raises/knee raises
5 ea DB high pull@3012
10 band goodmornings
B. Kipping toes to bar Practice
kip swing
kip swing with knee raise
kip swing with leg raise increasing range of motion/keeping rhythm
toes to bar
C. 20 min w/partner @aer
8 TTB
12 wall ball
15/12 cal row
Annoyed @self for making dinner plans for tonight. I could totally use the extra T2B practice in AG.
7 AM doing Monday’s work.
Bench at 40×8, which I was pleasantly surprised I was able to do for all 8 reps every time. I wasn’t expecting that since 35 felt strangely heavy last week.
Lunges at 20kg x8. I can get down lower on my right side than on my left. So, mobility goals.
WOD: best round 2:56, worst 3:19, with kipping HLR and 15 pushups per round. Glad I didn’t go Rx on these as they just partially fell apart in rounds 3 and 4, whereas if I’d done the full 20 I think I would have been doing singles by round 3 instead of at the end of round 4.
The kipping HLR rhythm wasn’t bad! Just need to put a little extra oomph in there and my toes will go all the way to the bar.
Tuesday accessory work!
3 rounds:
BB front rack step ups 30#x10eax2, 40#x10ea
Bent over BB row 30#x12, 40x12x2
3 rounds:
Banded side step x12ea
Log roll to v-up x8
3 rounds:
:30 banded clamshell hold L and R (thanks, Short Circuit, for teaching me this simple yet surprisingly difficult thing!)
Banded air squats x12
3 rounds:
Banded glute bridge + hamstring curl x10
Pike ups x12
Was going to do tabata burpees for a little cardio but I was too tired.
Didn’t know some of those stats related to DACA recipients and college accessibility/out of state prices etc. Very interesting and makes me even more proud of what the Stay strong scholarship does. Hoping to bring that fundraising up and help some of these folks acheive the future they want.
Yesterday: 4:30pm Group Class
SA DB Bench
35x8e, 50x8e, 60x8ex2
BW Interval Metcon:
3:04
3:07
3:37
4:12
Total: 20 something
A1) Back Rack Reverse Lunge
@8-10 reps/leg, 2-3 sets, rest 1-2 min
3×10 @ 115, getting tough for sure! I want to try go for 5 more next week
A2) Dumbbell Tate Press
@2010 8-10 reps, 2-3 sets, rest 1 min
3×10 @ 22.5 good!
A3) Ab Roll Out
@12-15 reps, 2-3 sets, rest 1-2 min
Getting better here! Can feel posture improving when i walk actually. I’m standing and walking using my abs more. I forget how to do this easily so I’m glad I can do it again
B1) Rope Climb
3 ascents, 4 sets, unbroken
Solid! Getting the rhythm. Jump. Step then two more steps to the top! Three steps total
B2) Wall Ball
16 reps, 20/9, 4 sets, unbroken, rest 4 min
Wall balls are a HR spiker at this weight but I handle it okay. Recorded stats at the end of the superset and I got my monitor working! Baseline was about 80-89 with intentional nasal breathing inbetween to see what would happen. Amazing how it immediately goes down.
1:40ish, 162bpm
1:48, 172bpm
2:02 175 bpm
1:50, 175 bpm
C) 15 min @aer
30 cal row
5 wall walk
100ft sled push, dog sled + 2-3 blue
walk the sled/long strides keep it aerobic!
2 rounds + 3 wall walks
5:15ish, 5:35ish
136 avg
156 max (after sled only)
I was watching my heart rate on the app so I sort of forgot to record splits. Guesstimated based off of the heart rate spikes which were just after sleds (first 50 ft was always under 143). Kept it slow and long strides. 2 plates.. I kept it almost always below 143 though! Polar photo is probably TMI but I think I’m going to keep doing this so I have a record for myself!
D) 10-15 min flush