Undocumented and educated: The insiders experience of DREAMersJoanna Mndez-Pounds, M.S., Denise Nicholas Williams, M.A., Jason B. Whiting, Ph.D.

Table 1 Selected Examples of Significant Statements of Experiences of

DREAMers

Significant Statements Formulated Meanings

My citizenship status is holding

me back enormously; All of my

hopes and dreams have been put

on hold indefinitely.

Uncertainty about the future.

The company I worked for was

raided by ICE the day I lost

my job was the scariest day

those minutes when I thought

everything I had worked for

would be taken from me.

Uncertainty about the future.

What I had to do wasnt give

up on my dreams; it was simply

to change them.

Resilience in spite of barriers and

disappointments

Thirst for knowledge. Education as a form of identity and

empowerment

I am proud of it [education]

because social or not, no one can

take this away from me.

Education as a form of identity and

empowerment

We cant afford to put my future on hold any longer.

The influence of time.

My mother carried me in her

arms for a great part of the walk

across the border- such was her

relentless effortto make it a

better world for me.

Family sacrifices for a better life.

I would forgo any desire for

material possessions because the

desire to have a degree from a

university was more important

to me.

Family sacrifices/desire for a better life

Obviously I feel American. I am

a foreigner to Bangladesh.

Disconnect from their countries of origin.

The meaning of undocumented.

I never really knew the

implications of being

undocumented until I reached

my high school years when all of

my friends and fellow classmates

began to get their driving

permits and apply for jobs.

The meaning of undocumented.

I am disappointed that the

country that I love could have

done this to me and my family.

Emotions

Supporting the DREAM ACT

will help me and all of the

undocumented students fulfill

their education goals.

Collective survival

I was exactly like the student

sitting next to me learning about

the values this country was

founded on, believing that those

who work hard can succeed in

America.

Essence of the Phenomenon

Introduction

Research shows that roughly sixty-five thousand immigrant students, who have lived in the United States for more than five years,

graduate from US high schools every year. However, these DREAMers (so called because they qualify for the Development,

Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act) face limited options related to the future endeavors due to their

undocumented status (Perez, 2010). While court rulings have declared that undocumented children should not be penalized from

earning an education, this policy ends once a student graduates from high school.

These students, who often attain some high distinctions in their class, such as the deans list, are stopped as they attempt to access college education. They are also awarded scholarships for college but these go unused because of their status. Those fortunate to

go on still experience higher levels of socio-emotional distress and other struggles related to the prospects for their future

(Hernandez, 2010). This research project involved a phenomenological analysis of the experiences and voices of undocumented

students.

Methods

Moustakass (1994) transcendental phenomenology method was employed in our analysis of DREAMers stories with a social constructivist epistemological approach.

Transcendental phenomenology directs less focus on the

interpretations of the researcher and emphasizes the

description of the experiences of participants (Creswell, 2007).

Moustakas employs one of Hussserls concepts of epoche, or bracketing, in which researchers set aside their experiences as

best possible to engage in a fresh perspective of the

phenomenon under examination (Moustakas, 1994).

From fifteen stories collected from two Internet websites, we

extracted a significant amount of statements taken

verbatim. Clustering these statements with represented

meaning resulted in nine themes.

Conclusion

Results revealed the following themes, Uncertainty about the

Future, Resilience in Spite of Barriers, Education as a Form of

Identity and Empowerment, the Influence of Time, Family

Sacrifices for a Better Life, Disconnect from their Countries of

Origin, the Meaning of Undocumented, Collective

Survival.

The essence of the phenomenon described DREAMers as

students that wanted to be seen just like everyone else, but

the analysis revealed unique characteristics that distinguish

them as students that are resilient, resourceful and confident.

DREAMers use their talents to live up to their potential and

work for action and change.

From these themes and essence researchers hope to provide

insight for mental health professionals working with this

population as well as address the significance of these themes

in relation to understanding the experiences of DREAMERs.

References:

Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing

among five approaches (2nd ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Hernandez, S., Hernandez Jr., I., Gadson, R., Huftalin, H., Ortiz, A. M., White,

M. C., & Yocum-Gaffney, D. (2010). Sharing their secrets: Undocumented.

Wiley Periodicals, Inc., 67-84. doi: DOI: 10.1002/ss.368

Moustakas, C. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. Thousand Oaks,

CA: Sage.

Prez, W., Richard D., C., Corts, R., & Heidi, C. (2010). cursed and

blessed: Examining the Wiley Periodicals, Inc., doi: DOI: 10.1002/ss.366

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