Publication Date

2024

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Gyant, LaVerne

Degree Name

Ed.D. (Doctor of Education)

Legacy Department

Department of Counseling and Higher Education (CAHE)

Abstract

While little research has been conducted on Asian undocumented students in higher education, it was the powerful story of an Asian undocumented high school student, Tereza Lee, that inspired Senator Richard Durbin to co-author immigration legislation known as the 2001 DREAM Act. Tereza’s story represents an important counter-story to what many perceive as the dominant narrative and a widely-held misconception that issues of undocumented immigrants and undocumented students only affect Latinos. The purpose of this study is to include Tereza’s narrative as a solution to the problem of its exclusion in higher education. Asian critical race theory centers the voices and work of Asian Americans in research and is used as a theoretical framework. A qualitative research approach is used with Tereza’s narrative embedded in a single case study, and in-depth interviews were conducted with seven individuals who know Tereza. Findings indicated that Tereza’s story impacted federal and state legislation, changed educational policies, and raised national awareness about the experiences of undocumented students. This research also discusses unintended consequences, challenges, barriers, and harmful impacts with an overuse of the dreamer narrative and identifies harmful impacts that the DREAM Act language and eligibility requirements have on many undocumented students.

Extent

272 pages

Language

en

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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