Staying close to home: The significance of relationships for immigrant-origin local college students

ABSTRACT

For local college students from immigrant backgrounds, entering college involves navigating both existing and new obligations to family, community, and school. This qualitative study describes the relational experiences of 14 immigrant-origin students, alumni of a college preparation program who attended college while living at or near home in New York City. In-depth, semi-structured interviews suggested that supportive relationships with family, peers, and mentors were key to helping students transition to college while maintaining existing ties, while some students also felt torn between their own needs and those of their families. Implications for culturally competent social work practice are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• College students
• immigrant families
• qualitative research
• family obligations
• cultural competence

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to Allison Zippay, Cassandra Simmel, and Sarah McMahon for their thoughtful feedback on this article.