We first brought the story of the Trail of Dreams walk on New Years Eve and the four set out from Miami the following morning. Now, as they close in on the geographic goal of the journey, there is also interest brewing regarding the overarching goal of the march — supporting the passage of the DREAM Act, which would allow undocumented students an opportunity to both fulfill their personal goals while also making a difference for the nation.

Last week, Illinois Democratic Senator Dick Durbin and Indiana Republican Senator Richard Lugar sent a letter to Janet Napolitano, the Secretary of Homeland Security, urging her to cease deportations of immigrant students who could earn legal students under the yet-to-be-enacted DREAM Act.

The Trail of Dreamers will complete their walk on Saturday morning and gather with supporters from 21 states at a United We Dream pre-rally at at Constitution Avenue and 15th Street in D.C. There they will be united with the New York walkers, who were inspired by the story and left the Big Apple on April 10 for their own 250-mile journey.

After convening, the entire group will march to Lafayette Park, directly across from the White House, for a rally in support of the DREAM Act and other immigrant legislation. That gets underway at 2 pm.

See the video below, which details a stint through Columbus, Ga., in late February.

Even though ‘physical vigor’ remains an element of inclusion, had his on-court career continued no one could ever say if Darryl would have been one of 32 Americans — and the only one from Indiana — chosen for a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship this fall. Like former Indianapolis Mayor Richard Lugar, now a U.S. Senator, did 55 years ago, Darryl will be off to the University of Oxford next year, a great excuse to put off med school.

Darryl’s has been a dramatic journey as his mother Stephanie, motivated by providing a high-quality education for her children, searched far and wide for the right location. “I went to tons of elementaries,” he recently told Dan McFeely of the Indianapolis Star. “I grew up around 42nd and Keystone, but it seemed like every day we were moving.”

All of her children would head to college while Darryl, who starred academically and athletically at North Central High School (with NBA star Eric Gordon), would ship off to Harvard, where upon arrival, paired with Sangu Delle and discovered the huge needs of Ghana, his roommate’s homeland. Darryl and Sangu have since created a self-sustaining water supply program, raised $50,000, secured the assistance of students and professors by the dozen and visited Africa several times to bring relief. (Note: SBC has earlier written about Ghana. Click here.).

In fact, Darryl’s most recent visit began Tuesday evening with a flight to Ghana. He will be working on his project to supply clean water to the locals throughout the holiday season. Schools Building Communities has been in touch with Darryl and looks forward to bringing much more of his story when he returns to the States.

One thing is for certain, Darryl has a lot of wisdom to offer the students of the Circle City.

Among the stipulations for eligibility are that the beneficiaries must have come to the United States before the age of 16, spent five consecutive years in the U.S., graduated from high school or obtained a GED and demonstrated “good moral character.”

Former Indianapolis Mayor Richard Lugar, who has been representing the Hoosier State in the U.S. Senate since 1977, was one of four congresspersons to introduce the DREAM Act. “Access to higher education is an important tool in addressing immigration reform, particularly among undocumented students,” Lugar said in June. “Undocumented young people usually arrive with their families and have no understanding of their immigration status. By limiting these students access to college, we deny our country their intelligence, creativity, energy, and often their loyalty.”

Recently the Milwaukee Public Schools Board of Directors unanimously passed a resolution to endorse the DREAM Act, stating, “We as a nation must welcome and serve immigrant students and children of immigrants. The Milwaukee School Board of Directors supports the Dream Act because it will further our goal of serving and supporting all students.”

Last week in Miami, Fla., students rallied in support of Jesus and Guillermo Reyes, brothers facing deportation to Venezuela.

Jesus, who arrived in the U.S. as a 12-year-old and now attends Miami-Dade College, told the crowd, “My dream is not too different from the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King. My dream is that millions, thousands of students … will not be judged because of their color, will not be judged because they are from third countries, will not be judged because they are aliens, but they will judged for the content of their character.”

Indiana Senator Richard Lugar nominated the Museum about which he said, “The IMA provides the Indianapolis community with valuable arts programming, education and many special exhibitions through the exploration of art, design, and the natural environment. It is truly a treasure in Indianapolis and very deserving of this prestigious honor.”

For more, check out the IMA blog.