Working toward a Texas in which ALL immigrant students flourish.
The Mission
Rooted Texas Collective empowers immigrant students in Texas to access and succeed in post-secondary education and professional opportunities through a comprehensive community of care.
Our Roots
2019
A group of UT students, alumni, and staff of mixed status came together in an effort to better understand and address the barriers to both opportunities and resource access for undocumented students at The University of Texas at Austin.
2020
As we met and evolved our understanding of the unique needs of this student population, we identifying a lack of awareness and understanding of the undocumented student experience. We connected with undocumented student support centers around the country, as well as other student organizations and university departments at UT Austin.
2021
We utilized seed funding from the Vice Provost for Diversity to create a survey to document the need of immigrant students and alumni at UT Austin. We presented the needs of students to the UT Austin VP for Campus and Community Engagement and launched our first website.
2022-2023
We gathered 239 student surveys and conducted focus groups with 25 students and alumni in into a report to present to top leadership at UT Austin. We successfully received program funding for the Monarch Program, in addition to paid staff (the only program dedicated to supporting immigrant students at UT Austin).
2024
The University of Texas at Austin ended the Monarch Program with little-to-no notice on the basis of SB-17, legislation to end DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs. Learn more about how SB-17 did not apply to the Monarch Program on our official statement.
2025
Rooted became an official student group at UT Austin and continued to provide support to immigrant students on campus to try to fill the immense gap left by the closing of the Monarch Program. On June 4th, the Texas Dream Act was repealed, ending in-state tuition access for undocumented students. Having been awarded a City of Austin grant to provide financial assistance to students, we became fiscally sponsored by the University Baptist Church and pivoted to the creation of a Financial Assistance Program with a focus on supporting students now paying 4X tuition rates. We were able to provide $26,577 to 21 students, including 16 graduating seniors.
2026
Rooted students and advisory board members voted to created a Rooted Texas Collective nonprofit to a) formalize the work we have been doing since 2019, b) apply for increased grant funding to serve more students and meet the gaps created by SB-17, and c) serve students in the Central Texas Area, with the goal of expanding to all of Texas.