Understanding the Role of Higher Education in Shaping Asian American and Pacific Islander College Students’ College Experiences and Cultural Identity

Abstract

While praised for being the “model minority” due to societal perceptions of their educational and economic achievements, systematic, institutional, and individual racism towards the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community still exists. This research study examines the role of higher education in shaping AAPI college students' college experiences and cultural identity. Using interview data from 15 AAPI college students from 9 different college campuses, this study reveals that college campuses discriminate against AAPI college students. Such institutional forms of discrimination impact AAPI college students through a lack of resources in supporting the multiple diasporas that make up the AAPI community or undermining racial discrimination students report. In response to pervasive institutional discrimination at their college campus, AAPI college students may have little choice but to seek out support from on-campus AAPI organizations. Indeed, the AAPI college organizations appear to be one of the only options on campus that culturally affirm the status, experience, and identity of Asian American/Pacific Islander students. Creating resources that specifically address the needs of different demographics instead of creating resources that incorporate the one-size-fits-all approach allows for students’ needs and perspectives to be heard in spaces that have oppressed them in the past.