"It Gave Me a Source of Power and Voice": Asian American, First-Generation College Students Navigating Identity-Based Marginalization (Poster 32)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 4
  In Poster Session: Intersectionality Matters: Educational Perspectives, Paradigms, and Possibilities (San Diego)

Abstract

Asian Americans make up the fastest growing immigrant group in the United States and comprise a significant portion of students at four-year universities. An increasing number of these students (26%) are the first in their family to attend college. However, little work has examined Asian American first-generation college students’ experiences in higher education and how they make sense of the conflicting expectations imposed upon their Asian American (i.e., a “model minority”) and first-generation college student (i.e., viewed under a deficit lens as disadvantaged learners) identities. Utilizing the intersectionality framework, this research aims to unpack students’ complex experiences and understand how they navigate contradictory stereotypes and pressures. Ultimately, we discuss the strategies students use to cultivate resistance and resilience to marginalization.

Authors

• Ritika Rastogi, Brigham & Women's Hospital

• Rebecca Covarrubias, University of California - Santa Cruz