A Phenomenological Exploration of Mong Undergraduates and Federal Pell Grants: A Critical Race-Class Analysis

• In Event: Serving AAPI Students in Higher Education

Abstract

To ensure an equal opportunity and uphold the “essential promise of America,” college-bound students from low-income families can apply for financial aid assistance under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA). We critically contextualize the reach and reality of that “essential promise” to low-income Mong undergraduate students. Given the dearth of research on this topic and employing a Critical Race-class analytic (Dumas, 2013; Leonardo, 2012) we investigate how low-income Mong undergraduates on Pell Grants perceive and negotiate economic challenges en route to degree attainment and the policy measures/recommendations they identify as necessary to supporting their path toward degree attainment.

Authors

• Wyler Yang

• Maiyoua Vang, California State University - Long Beach