Immigrant community college learners experience increased stress and adversity due to their demographic statuses, adversely impacting their wellness (Bjorkland, 2018; Kim & Díaz, 2019). Despite the increasing wellness-related problems among community college learners (Kitow, 2018; Schwartz 2019), the lived experiences of wellness of immigrant community college learners have not been fully explored. The purpose of this biographical narrative study was to explore the lived experiences of wellness of immigrant-origin community college learners and give a voice to this marginalized population. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 10 participants for semistructured interviews. The data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis and the theoretical framework of acculturation theory. The answers to the two research questions revealed 10 themes. These findings included (a) resiliency and self-efficacy positively impacting wellness, (b) social networks’ role in wellness, (c) wellness benefits of functioning in two cultural streams, (d) adverse effects of discrimination, (e) ethnic identity’s role in wellness, (f) cultural perceptions and wellness-related stigma around help-seeking, (f) and experiences of discrimination and microaggressions in student wellness services. The study’s findings contribute insight for application in counseling, supervision, and counselor education settings. Counselor educators and supervisors can use this information with applied skills to incorporate when working with immigrant-origin learners in their settings and through pedagogical strategies for counselor training. Finally, this study contributes to the growing knowledge of the broader cultural issues at work toward the specific cohort of immigrant-origin community college learners.

Authors:
Orsolya Varkonyi, Molloy University and Columbia University, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Varkonyi currently serves as the Legislative and Public Policy Chair of ACA New York and is a full professor at Molloy University. Her research focuses on the wellness experiences of immigrant community college learners.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-orsolya-varkonyi-phd-837663298

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