Strategic Agency: First-Generation Low-Income (Un)documented Immigrant Students’ Agentic Experiences at a Predominantly White Institution

Abstract

The number of first-generation low-income (FGLI) (un)documented immigrant students pursuing higher education has been increasing in recent years, especially since the introduction of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program, a temporary relief from deportation, and the advent of pro-immigrant policies in universities. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 450,000, or about 2 percent of all students in higher education in the U.S., are undocumented immigrant students. However, despite their increasing enrollment, studies have found that few successfully persist through graduation. In response, universities have created support programs and structures, but these have had little success in engaging FGLI (un)documented students. However, most existing studies examine students’ interactions in colleges from a standpoint that gives primacy to the values and practices that are normative for higher education institutions. As a result, non-dominant cultural practices have been either undervalued or treated as deficits, and mostly overlooked as potential resources to support marginalized students’ college experiences. To counter this deficit perspective and build upon existing studies that have examined students’ assets, my dissertation explores how FGLI (un)documented immigrant students utilize their cultural knowledge and skills to exercise agency and strategically navigate an institutional context that significantly differs from their previous experiences. Based on 131 semi-structured in-depth interviews with 39 FGLI immigrant students attending one elite institution, I conducted three analyses that explore how (un)documented students actively navigate their environments by deploying non-dominant cultural practices. Paper 1 examines how these students respond to common challenges in the post-secondary environment. Paper 2 explores how undocumented students identify strategies to engage and adapt in college utilizing their cultural knowledge and skills. Finally, paper 3 discusses the strategies that undocumented students utilize to identify and develop supportive ties in college. Together, these three papers contribute to the fields of higher education and immigration by conducting a deeper examination of FGLI immigrant students’ perspectives on their experiences and their strategies in navigating the higher education system, and extend our knowledge using an asset-based framework.