First-Generation Low-Income Immigrant Students: Resisting Attainable College Cultural Capital

• In Event: First-Generation Students Navigating Higher Education

Abstract

In higher education studies, there are two dominant perspectives when examining first-generation low-income (FGLI) students’ experiences in college: social class and race. The former argues that these students struggle due to unfamiliarity with college culture, while the latter asserts the presence of institutional racism on campus. However, my research suggests that neither explanation fully describes the experiences of immigrant students who comprise a significant portion of the FGLI and students of color population. Through in-depth interviews with FGLI immigrant students at a predominantly white university, the study shows that most students’ struggles are not solely related to a lack of cultural capital, but rather, a resistance to the practices that they perceive as harmful and dishonoring their immigrant values.

Author

• Jaein Lee, Harvard University