The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate the approaches utilized by high school administrators and staff to equip Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) high school students for the transition into college within the northeastern state. The final dissertation looked at the strategies, processes, training, challenges,…

This qualitative case study explores how undocumented students in North Carolina navigate their identity, belonging, and decision-making about activist efforts. Drawing on fieldwork and interview data (2017-2019), we provide policy context and empirical evidence through the voices of undocumented youth about their everyday realities and dilemmas…

This paper will examine the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) executive order by then President Obama in 2012. Special attention will be placed on the impact of this program on higher education as well as the lives of the individuals that it has impacted. Both supporting and opposing views will be presented through relevant court cases…

Undocumented children have a right to a public k-12 education in the United States, however there is no standard approach to higher education. About half of states allow undocumented immigrants to attend public colleges and universities at in-state rates of tuition (ISRT) and a subset of these also allow them access to state financial aid. This…

This article examines the educational experiences of undocumented high school students during the Trump administration--a time marked by the intensification and expansion of immigration enforcement practices. Drawing on 24 in-depth interviews, we find that undocumented high school students experienced increased instances of bullying near the time…

Despite the significant influence that peer motivation is likely to have on educational investments during high school, it is difficult to test empirically since exogenous changes in peer motivation are rarely observed. In this paper, I focus on the 2012 introduction of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to study a setting in which peer…

The COVID-19 health crisis has laid bare the structural inequity in the financial aid system. The pandemic has hit the lowest-income students hardest, with many struggling to afford the basic technology for online learning on top of new or exacerbated food and housing insecurity. Federal and state dollars predicated on Pell Grant eligibility, time…