Food, Academic Counseling, Faculty Support, Financial Aid, Technology, Therapy, and Legal Assistance: Immediate Validation for Community College Undocumented Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

ABSTRACT The purposes of the present exploratory qualitative study were to investigate if a California community college provided localized assistance to undocumented students during the COVID-19 pandemic and if the students positively perceived such efforts. The researcher interviewed 20 undocumented students to gain insight into their perceptions of assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic provided by their institution. Grounded in Rendón’s Validation Theory as a theoretical framework, which explains that academic and interpersonal validation are key to student success, the present study reveals that community colleges can positively validate undocumented students by providing immediate validation, what the researcher views as urgent and timely validation during a time of crisis, via different types of assistance, such as food, counseling, faculty support, financial aid, and other services, such as technology, mental health services, and legal assistance. The findings are urgent given the ongoing pandemic and its negative effects on undocumented students’ well-being, financial security, and academics.