"Ni de aqui ni de all​á": Undocumented Students' Capital Needs and Search for Belonging

• 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

Using the theoretical framework of geographies of belonging, this session draws on data from a youth participatory action research study to investigate the ways undocumented students navigate higher education, with a particular emphasis on understanding how sense of belonging and social, cultural, and economic capital inform the ways they make sense of their experiences within hegemonic academic space. Data revealed the critical factors of sense of belongingness and capital in participants’ ability to enter and matriculate through the academy. These findings point to valuable ways that institutions can provide comprehensive supports beyond those of an academic nature, that are pivotal to the undocumented and have great import for their learning and development.

Authors

• Kelly N Ferguson, Loyola University Chicago

• Aurora Chang, Loyola University Chicago

• Mark Anthony Torrez, Loyola University Chicago

• Blanca Torres-Olave, Loyola University Chicago

• Claudia M Castillo, Northwestern University

• Karla Robles, Loyola University Chicago