Where Do I Go from Here? Examining the Transition of Undocumented Students Graduating from College

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn this longitudinal qualitative study, we examined how 23 undocumented college students with and without DACA navigated the college graduation process and transitioned out of higher education. Despite the growing number of undocumented students with and without DACA enrolling and graduating from college over the past 10 years, few studies have been conducted about this significant life event that can involve numerous new challenges and opportunities for them. We used Schlossberg’s (2008) transition theory to design the study and analyze our data. We found that undocumented students with and without DACA perceived their transition out of higher education as an expected change with unanticipated conditions and non-events out of their control. Surprisingly, the data showed that having DACA did not translate into more stability for participants at the time of graduation. The uncertainty connected to participants’ immigration status, coupled with the ambiguous sociopolitical climate and the COVID-19 pandemic, continuously created unpredictable situations that clouded their ability to navigate the changes with confidence. In this article we present our findings through two in-depth participant narratives to bolster humanizing and counterstorytelling practices in higher education scholarship. We offer implication for research, policy, and practice.KEYWORDS: Undocumented college studentscollege graduationtransitionsSchlossbergCOVID- 19 pandemiccounterstorytellingparticipatory action research Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1. Currently, new DACA applications are not being accepted. Only, DACA renewals are being processed (USCIS, Citation2023).2. Recognizing the harmful impact terms like and have on undocumented people, we strike them through when referencing the work of scholars who use such terminology. Within our scholarship we do not use such terms to avoid the dehumanization and criminalization of undocumented communities.Additional informationFundingThis work was supported by the Texas A&M University.