Increasing Higher Education Accessibility for English Learners and Immigrant Students through Mentoring
Michelle Ferguson is the Education Access Coordinator at HIAS Pennsylvania, an organization in Philadelphia, PA that provides legal and social services to immigrants, refugees, and asylees. Michelle holds a Master’s of Education with a concentration in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Temple University in Philadelphia. As a first generation college student herself, Michelle is passionate about creating a more accessible path to post-secondary education for first generation, English learner, and immigrant students through supportive mentor relationships.
When HIAS Pennsylvania high school students started to ask for support applying to college, we didn’t realize the challenges that lay ahead. Students questioned what attending college in the United States (US) is like. They sought advice about applying to college, potential colleges they should apply to, and different degree programs they should pursue. As we supported our students in these searches, our team became increasingly aware of vast disparities in accessible college information for immigrant students and English learners.
Our students require specific advising in this area because of their unique and complex backgrounds. Many of our students are first generation college students; even if their parents went to university in another country, they are typically the first generation in their family to go through the US college system. First generation college students generally face disadvantages in this system, as they can be unfamiliar with the application process, unaware of what resources are available to them, and overall lack the cultural capital and institutional knowledge to understand the systems being discussed.
HIAS PA students are usually English learners, non-US citizens, or, most often, both. The current college preparation curriculum (if any) found in American high schools or online does not support either of these groups well, leaving students particularly unsupported, confused, and disheartened. Widely-published college preparation materials are usually not suitable for English learners to engage with on their own. Often, the information is explained with advanced language, clearly demonstrating that the information is aimed at a target audience of native English speakers.
Specific aspects of the higher education system are also particularly hard to navigate. For example, the financial aid system in the United States requires a deep understanding of immigration legal statuses. The requirements for eligibility are confusing and muddled, especially given that policies for undocumented students can vary by state to state, school to school, or even within one university. Students are ill-equipped to tackle these obstacles on their own, especially when combined with their often emergent bilingualism and their being the first one in their family to navigate this system.
In response to the almost insurmountable barriers facing our youth, we adapted our High School Mentoring Program to better meet students’ needs and support them through this convoluted process. Rather than offering a large group college prep class, small group or one on one mentoring provides students the opportunity to work at their own pace. Mentors are able to advise students who have similar needs, whether that is their educational goals, immigration statuses, language backgrounds or need for English language support. Mentors meet weekly with students and follow a college prep curriculum specifically tailored to our student population. The program strives to be accessible for English learners, easy to follow for mentors, and resourceful for students with a variety of immigration status backgrounds.
In addition to increasing students’ knowledge of the American higher education system, building English skills is a top priority. We teach English through mentoring; all of our information is presented in English accessible to learners of varied proficiencies. In terms of instructional practices, we include vocabulary activities or definitions, as well as ample discussion to engage with new vocabulary. The purpose of this is two-fold; students feel empowered to use college jargon later on their own (including new terms such as writing center, advisor, FAFSA, etc), and foster transferable skills that are imperative for college success, such as engaging with and embracing new material. We offer opportunities for repeated exposure to concepts, such as the components of college application, how to choose a college, and how to prepare in high school for life in college. Students are in our program for their junior and senior years, and over that time they engage with the same concepts multiple times to truly solidify their understanding of each one.
Language access is another essential element of the program. Whenever possible, we prioritize matching students with mentors who share their first language. Additionally, we make calls to students and parents in their first languages and offer parent meetings with interpretation so that parents can be involved in the process with their students.
We also could not do this work without the help of the colleagues around us. The Education team at HIAS Pennsylvania is able to reach out to the lawyers on our staff who can help explain intricate legal and immigration status questions. We have built supportive relationships with advisors and staff at local colleges and universities, who take the time to give supplemental information sessions and tours to our students and highlight the resources their college can offer our students.
With all of these measures in place, we have graduated dozens of students who have gone on to begin college or university degrees over the past several years. We are excited to continue refining our model to meet our students’ diverse needs, empower students to consider post-secondary education and close the existing educational gap between immigrant or English learner students and their native-born, native English speaking peers.