with a concentration in Educational Leadership By

My study examines the experiences and perceptions of Ethiopian immigrants in Chicago particularly as they relate to their involvement in their children’s schooling. Through narrative interviews I was able to hear stories of migration, education, and life changes within families as they emigrated from Ethiopia and (eventually) settled in the US. Migration, conditioned by political contexts at home, circumstances of mobility, and available support structures, is translated into life experiences that are infused with emotion (of various sorts), hardship (and various strategies to understand it and deal with it), an evolving vision of life in the US, and a changing sense of identity. Transitioning to life in the US is experienced as a paradox: reconciling expectations vs. reality, confusion in the way they raise their kids (as Ethiopians or Americans), and other issues related to cultural change arise as one navigates the long-term migration process. The participants were deprived of a full education in Ethiopia because of the brutality of the regime; this experience has motivated them to provide their children the best educational experience