"Con mucho sacrificio": Understanding the Engagement of Undocumented Latina/o Parents in Their Children's Postsecondary Planning

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 32
  In Roundtable Session: The Undocumented and the "At-Risk": Understanding the Interactions and Engagements of Vulnerable Student Groups

Abstract

This interview-based study with 15 undocumented Latina/o parents explores the role of parents’ sacrificios (sacrifices) in their engagement in their children’s post-secondary planning. This study finds that sacrificios are a particular form of parenting in which parents give something up for themselves for the sake of their children. Categorizes as 1) migration sacrificios; 2) day-to-day sacrificios; and 3) emotional sacrificios, these sacrificios are responses to the social-political context undocumented Latina/o parents find themselves in; the limitations of their immigration status shape these sacrifices. This research is necessary for knowing more about the way undocumented status influences parenting decisions and educational engagement, helping us understand the unique needs of undocumented Latina/o parents and to reconsider what engagement means for them.

Author

• Stephany Cuevas, Harvard University