Tara W.

Ross, PhD

The United States prioritizes selfsufficiency

Employed Able to take care of

themselves
(US Department of State, n.d.)

(Catholic Charities, 2011)

Self-sufficiency as a policy is challenging

Barriers to employment (Dawood, 2011; Georgetown University, 2009)

Refugees run out of assistance (Georgetown University, 2009)

Resettled refugees in US raising awareness about refugee policy (Church World Service, n.d.)

Education is one mechanism that helps refugees achieve greater potential

Higher education Recertification

Post-secondary education is difficult to obtain

Self-sufficiency requirement mandates job over education

Practical barriers prevent education

(Dawood, 2011; Georgetown University, 2009)

Educational barriers and requirements for self-sufficiency hinder acculturation. What is acculturation?

Refugee perspectives need to be considered.

(Berry, 2001; McPherson, 2010)

Two way process

Resettled country culture

Acculturation

Policy makers need to understand the reality of refugee experiences

Is the path to selfsufficiency designed for failure? Are resettlement procedures creating addition trauma unnecessarily through ineffective policies?

SelfSufficiency?

Effective policies have the potential to empower refugees.

Effective post-secondary education policies provide opportunity for:
engagement with other residents and citizens An increase in refugees social and cultural capital

meaningful employment
Enhanced ability for refugees to integrate into society in a way that they find valuable

(Dawood, 2011; Georgetown University, 2009; Schiller et al., 2009)

How do resettled refugees in the Tampa Bay region of Florida perceive that their postsecondary education received during resettlement influenced their acculturation?

Education as a Means of Acculturation

Social Capital
Social bonds

Sense of belonging

Social Capital

Social skills

Access to resources

 Cultural Capital
Knowledge of culture

Values

Cultural Capital

Skills

Societal rules

(Berry, 2001; Hickey, 2007; Koehler, 2009; Morrice, 2009)

Name/age/gender

Nationality Country of Origin

Year of Migration 2004

Educational Background Education degree from Cuba, MA in education completed here

Alejandro, 44, male Cuba

Boro, 40, male

Bosnia

1997

First year student in Sarajevo, completed BA here, enrolled in MA program Completed high school and college here
Completed BA in 2010

Brena, 32, female

Bosnia

1993

Cira, 61, female

Cuba

1967

Name/age/gender Luay, 30, male

Nationality Iraq

Year of migration 2009

Educational Background Completed BA in Iraq, enrolled in Masters program. MD from Cuba, completed LPN certification here Left after first year of university, completed BA here

Mirella, 41, female

Cuba

2008

Sonja, 32, female

Bosnia

2002

Sonja talks about how her education and childhood was interrupted by war:
So, um, then the war started. And everything that had been

important before stopped being important suddenly because . . . different kind of things matter in life when theres danger around you. . . . The war started happening slowly in February [of 1992]there were tensionswe stopped going to school in beginning of March because there were shootings around the city.

In their own words

They asked me what I wanted to do, and I was like, Just take me to the high school. Just take me to school. And at this point you have to understand, all Im seeing is adults: doctors, medical, physical therapists. Nobody my age. So, I was like, give me somebody thats under 18, in a high school setting, in a school setting, because I needed to have that. Any kind of school setting. I needed to have that . . . it was just really great to go and visit the school and go to the gym. Just like see kids. That whole school smell Backpacks and books.
~Brena from Mostar
The famous Stari Most bridge in Mostar a 16th Century Ottoman creation

Brenas evacuation from Mostar as a 15 year old amputee.

Family separation during migration Violence and persecution prior to fleeing home Physical and/or emotional abuse upon resettlement

Trauma

Renewal of self
Participants confirmed that

acculturation and adaptation begins with discovering who they were Developing their sense of self came from learning more about their culture and who they were within it

Identity development
Developing identity was a

deliberate as well as an unconscious choice Meant letting go of things that no longer fit

Obtaining education a primary motivation upon resettlement

Creative scheduling, lack of student life experience, and personal sacrifices

Believed that education would provide:

Feelings of normalcy Mirella noted that when she was doing her LPN clinical rotations in the hospital that it was a great feeling, like she was back in Cuba working as a doctor.

Education would provide:

A sense of belonging Participants noted that in order to

feel like they were a part of the country, they needed to go through the educational system.
A valuable credential for employment
They believed basic self-sufficiency was not enough They advocated using a step-by-step process to make it through work and school They viewed the degree as a marker of their having made it.

Barriers to education:
Language

You create your own barriers

Cost and Time

Inaccurate information

Lack of transcripts from school

back home

Social capital the social connections that help newcomers engage in society
English classes ESOL classes (in absence of traditional student

life experiences) Support networks

Academic skills writing, presenting, working in groups, academic English Informal Lessons Learning the rules of the game

Communication

Diversity

Suggestions from participants:

Allow more time for pre-migration cultural

orientations to create trust Invest in education up front Ease of translating prior credits and recertification Social connections with American families

Deliberate decision to develop capital

A nonlinear process

Acculturation
Resiliency
Merging the old self with the new self Both sides adapt, but both sides complain

 The Multiplier Effect Building Personal Capacity Taking the Long View Developing a Lasting Self-Sufficiency

Enhanced government benefits

Career networking

Language development Aided their

Making social connections through school created a multiplier effect:

learning in school

Provided opportunities to travel

Feel belonging to community Self esteem, accomplish goals Higher Education Contribution to where they worked

Acculturation achieved but ongoing

- Alejandro called it Understanding your moment They understood the importance of education from different perspective Participants with prior education took long view on acculturation - Luay said prior education helped him see value in college and further education - Mirella discussed patience and a 5- year plan

Go beyond survival
Create a lasting selfsufficiency
College successes empowers and develops skills

Personal empowerment creates need to give back

A need for stronger linkages between local, state, and federal governments to improve response on the ground A need for social connections between newcomers and those immersed in the culture. Education needs to be an early investment A need for improved mechanisms to recertify professionals.

GED and/or ESL

Associates Degree or Vocational Certificate

Bachelors degree

Associates degrees out-earn bachelors degrees in first 10 years Computer networking, nursing, and rehabilitation therapies
IT, ASN, PTA, OTA

Move into management with two more years to the Bachelors degree

Awareness in Higher Education

Professional development to staff members Making professors aware World Refugee Day Hosting an International Day on campus to

encourage understanding of diversity

Creating social connections

Recruit volunteers from community to work with

refugees Universities could use peer-mentoring programs

Evaluating credentials of pre-migration education

World Education Service (WES) Match between programs

Bridge programs and the Affordable Care Act

$250 million set aside for training of medical professionals Working with prior professionals could help meet demand

of 30 million new people added to health care system by 2014.

The rebuilt Stari Most the Old Bridge of Mostar a symbol of east meets west, of religious and ethnic tolerance, and of second chances.

Tara Ross Email: tarar@keiseruniversity.edu LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/taraross7/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrTaraRoss Copy of the research study and this presentation: http://keiseruniversity.academia.edu/TaraRoss