Learning From Microaggressions: Examining the College Choice Process From the Perspectives of Undocumented Students

• In Event: Academic Trajectories of Minority Youth

Abstract

The issue of undocumented students' college access has gained the attention of education scholars in recent years. Several scholars have examined the role of educational policy and educational institutional agents in creating opportunities or barriers in this population's postsecondary education access. However, little is known about their experiences with instances of discrimination and prejudice during the college choice process. The authors utilize the racial microaggressions framework (Sue, 2010) to describe how undocumented students experience microinsult, microassualt, and microinvalidation in their interactions with institutional agents while trying to navigate their college choice process. Our findings demonstrate that institutional agents can shape policies and change their practices to ensure that undocumented students obtain resources and information during the college choice process.

Authors

• Blanca E. Elizabeth Vega, Teachers College, Columbia University

• H. Kenny Nienhusser, University of Hartford

• Mariella Saavedra, Teachers College, Columbia University