Using Testimonio to Explore My Journey as an International Student of Color in the United States

• In Event: Convergences: Locating Advocacy and Justice

Abstract

Originating from scholarship on critical race theory, and Chicana's and feminist studies, testimonio has been primarily applied to voice the experiences of Women of Color in the United States. Although the rising usage of testimonio as a method within the educational discipline, it has rarely been employed to examine international students' experiences. Therefore, this paper presents testimonio as a method to validate first-person accounts to produce knowledge in the field of international education. Particularly, the testimonio revisits the author's pre-college study abroad experience, followed by her life as a graduate student of color two decades later. It focuses on the intersections of race, ethnicity, language, gender, and socioeconomics, and how these shape her unique path.

Author

• Ivet Parra- Gaete, Arizona State University