Bhutanese Refugee Students: Their Perceptions Of High School And Challenges Of Accessing A Four-Year College Degree In The U.s.

The recent trend of refugee resettlement in the U.S. has presumably shifted to a new and more hopeful life for refugees. However, refugees experience another phase of challenges once they resettle in the U.S. Their transition from a life of statelessness to that of the citizen in a developed country is a painful experience, yet life has improved economically, especially after years of living in poverty in a refugee camp. The fact that Bhutanese refugee parents choose to resettle in the U.S. is primarily motivated by their hopes for a better education for their children. The following qualitative research study strives to understand both the opportunity gaps and the challenges that Bhutanese refugee students experience. This study also helps to shift the narrative from the student being the problem to the school systems in place that maintains or ameliorate the gaps in opportunities for refugee students in higher education