"""I am not beneath you because I am from a different continent, I am also like you!"": Nigerian college students make meaning of racial and ethnic identity at a predominantly white institution"

For college students, academic and social issues play a huge role in their higher education experience. This experience is exceptionally complicated for diverse Black populations, who often have to negotiate their complex racial and ethnic space in the United States. My research investigates underrepresented cultures from Africa - namely Nigeria - whose ethnic background is often considered invisible in the U.S. This research examines how Nigerian college students make meaning of their racial and ethnic identity at a Predominately White Institution. Detailed interviews were conducted with 20 self-identified Nigerian college students at a Midwestern public research university. Participants varied from international students to U.S. born Nigerian students. This study finds that Nigerian college students embrace their various racial and ethnic identities and utilize terms such as African, African-American, Nigerian, transnational Nigerian, Nigerian-American, 1st generation American, Black, Igbo and Yoruba to describe their racial and ethnic identity. In this sense, students are not trying to gain a monolithic identity; instead they are weighing their options and determining their possibilities based on their lived experiences. Furthermore, their understanding of which term was associated with race or ethnicity varies. This research aligns with previous studies on Black immigrants and shows that identity is fluid and influenced by the social context. However, it diverges from previous studies by shedding light on the significance of citizenship, native language fluency, accent, and parent education in Nigerian college students’ experiences. Recommendations for college personnel and policymakers are offered.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Onyenekwu, Ifeyinwa Uchechi Cindy

Contributors dc:contributor

• Hood, Denice W.
• Trent, William T.
• McCarthy, Cameron R.
• Baber, Lorenzo D.

• Nigerian college students
• Identity Formation
• Race
• Ethnicity

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2015 Ifeyinwa Onyenekwu

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/78774

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/78774