Involving Parents and Community Leaders to Promote College and Career Aspirations among Refugee Youth

Abstract

Among challenges of refugee students attempting to pursue ambitions to attend a university and subsequently take up a professional career, are uncertainty about how to navigate from high school to college and unawareness of career fields. In this paper, we report on results of a project focused on promoting STEM aspirations and understanding college navigation among refugee families in the United States. Through partnerships between refugee community organizations and a university, families participated in workshops that included learning about a breadth of STEM careers and how to chart a successful course from secondary to postsecondary education.