Second-Generation Immigrant Students and the Senior-Year Transition

This qualitative study explores how second-generation immigrant (SGI) college seniors experience and navigate their final year of college. Drawing on Schlossberg's theory of transitions, we analyze in-depth interviews with 34 SGI seniors. Emergent themes include: (a) perceptions of the senior-year transition, (b) challenges finding and using university resources, (c) tensions between sense of self and parental expectations, (d) discrepancies between sources of support, and (e) strategies promoting resilience. Implications for research and practice are explored.