Facing a Pandemic: The Experiences of Undocumented College Students Preparing to Graduate

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Two
  In Roundtable Session: Living and Learning at the Margins: Undocumented, Immigrant, and Students of Color Navigating Postsecondary Institutions (Table 9)

Abstract

COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted historically excluded student populations; however, little research has addressed the experiences of undocumented and/or DACAmented college students and recent graduates navigating higher education. This qualitative study examines how COVID-19 impacted the experiences of Latinx/a/o undocumented college students (n=8) and undocumented graduates (n=7) preparing to graduate. Incorporating theoretical frameworks, Racist Nativism and Community Cultural Wealth, one-on-one, audio recorded interviews and demographic questionnaires were conducted (Pérez Huber, Benavides Lopez, Malagon, Velez, and Solorzano, 2008; Yosso, 2005). While higher education is touted as the pathway toward social mobility this process is more complicated for undocumented immigrants during this pandemic (Bourdieu, 1973; Bourdieu, 1986; Parker, Rainie, Kochhar, Rohal, 2016).

Author

• Cristal Briseida Almonte, Claremont Graduate University
  Presenting Author