Department or Program

Sociology

Abstract

Despite Asian Americans’ being well represented in higher education in the United States, their experiences on college campuses are commonly misunderstood and overlooked when it comes to advocating for minority voices. While there are previous studies that have explored Asian Americans' sense of belonging and self-formation in post-secondary education, this present research aims to disaggregate the pan-ethnic label to avoid perpetuating monolithic perceptions of Asian American experiences in higher education. This paper gives greater visibility to sub-ethnic variations and overlapping identities that shape perceptions of self, belonging, and institutional support in predominantly white institutions. Drawing from 25 semi-structured interviews with Asian American undergraduate students across 11 colleges and universities, participants’ responses resulted in 6 themes: hypervisibility and invisibility in the classroom, monolithic stereotypes, conflicting national and ethnic identities, negotiating minoritized identities, co and pan-ethnic relationships, and lack of institutional recognition. In this thesis, I argue that monolithic stereotypes continue to define many of the racialized experiences Asian American students face in predominately white institutions (PWIs). This paper further presents solutions that Asian American students want to see implemented at their institutions to amplify Asian voices on campus.

Level of Access

Open Access

First Advisor

Rocque, Michael

Date of Graduation

5-2024

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Number of Pages

67

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