Undergraduate Research & Scholarships

Gandhy Jimenez Social Science

Education After Deportation: Mapping Barriers and Pathways to Higher Education for Deported Students in Mexico

Scholars Journal

This research project examines formerly incarcerated individuals who pursued education while incarcerated in the United States and were later deported to Mexico after completing their sentences. The study explores whether they continued to pursue higher education after deportation, the obstacles that may have prevented these aspirations. Also highlighting how the challenges of incarceration and deportation shaped their priorities, including the need to focus on survival and rebuilding their lives after such traumatic experiences. Using oral history interviews, this project centers participants' lived experiences and provides a space for them to share stories that are often unheard due to the stigma surrounding incarceration and deportation. By documenting these narratives, the research seeks to deepen our understanding of how incarceration, deportation, and displacement influence educational pathways, access to opportunity, and personal resilience after incarceration and displacement.