Susana M. Muñoz, Administrative Leadership, UW-Milwaukee
“Identity, social activism, and the pursuit of higher education: The journey stories of undocumented and unafraid community activists”

Wednesday, September 10, 2014 3:00pm
American Geographical Society Library (UWM Libraries, Third floor)

Over the last ten years there has been a limited but increasingly growing body of scholarship devoted to undocumented college students in higher education. The research acknowledges that most undocumented students experience college with very limited financial aid resources and institutional support, high resiliency for academic persistence, and a heightened amount of stress levels due to navigating and negotiating their legal status and future outlook. Scholars have also looked at how civic engagement for undocumented student has fostered high academic success, self-esteem, and motivation to succeed. Yet, immigration research within higher education has not adequately addressed how undocumented students make meaning of their legal status. This presentation builds upon existing social identity development literature combined with research on critical consciousness, to examine the process of how undocumented students “come out” and make meaning regarding their legal status within the context of higher education and social activism.