<p> By exploring the experience of Armenian Americans who have enrolled in the American higher education system, this study investigated how the Armenian American identity influenced the experience of college students. The research explored the community and cultural wealth that Armenian Americans brought to their universities, which interacted with established institutional resources and structures. Data was collected through semi-structured, open-ended interviews of 21 participants from the Greater Los Angeles area. The major findings of the study include the emergence of the Armenian American student identity (AASI), customization and negotiation of the oncampus experience, and building networks on campus. The overarching metaphor for the AASI became <i> Two Circles. Two Worlds.,</i> refers to the code switching taking place with the Armenian American college student population. This code switching resulted in the two campus acculturative strategies of compartmentalization and integration. The discussion explicated three factors that impacted the selection of these acculturative strategies: (a) on campus presence, (b) campus hospitality and environment, and (c) shared experience. The research concluded with implications for practice within student affairs, administration, and faculty as well as multiple opportunities for future research to provide further insight into this student population.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:1528044 |
| Date | 14 August 2014 |
| Creators | Seropian, Taleen |
| Publisher | California State University, Long Beach |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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