SCHOLARSHIP

Research Interests

• Diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education
• Campus racial climate

• Academic access, persistence, and success

• Student organizing & organizations

• Educational experiences of first-generation, students of color, and undocumented college students

Doctoral Dissertation

Undocumented Student Organizations: Navigating the Sociopolitical Context in Higher Education

Abstract:

Our immigration system continues to fail to create a pathway towards citizenship for undocumented youth. Today, the current presidential administration perpetuates a heightened wave of anti-immigrant sentiments and policies that threaten the stability, safety, and prospects for this population. Though largely understudied, research shows that undocumented student organizations in colleges and universities are critical sources of information, support, and advocacy for students that challenge racist and nativist rhetoric.

Utilizing a model created from political opportunity theory and nested contexts of reception, this comparative case study explored how undocumented student organizations navigate a heightened anti-immigrant sociopolitical climate in higher education in a campus that is “undocufriendly” and one that is not. The study examined the ways that campus climates nested within the larger sociopolitical context shape undocumented student organizations, how the organizations navigate threats and opportunities created by their environment, and they continue to support and advocate for their members. The findings point to the ways that the larger sociopolitical environment permeated both campuses and shaped the collective efforts of the student organizations according to their respective intuitional environment. Overall, the elections created an opportunity for students to challenge their institutions and either demand the development of essential resources and services for undocumented students, or expand what it means to be an “undocufriendly” campus.


Select Writing & Publications

Kezar, A. & Acuña, A. (2020)

Tierney, W. G., Ward, J. D., Corwin, Z., Ngo, F., Cadena, M., Acuña, A., … (2017)