This qualitative research project seeks to examine the obstacles faced by educators who come to the U.S. as refugees. The three participants in this study are from Iraq, Sudan, and Turkey. While there are similarities between them, there are also differences in terms of race, sex, and religion. While this work examines practical barriers, such as those related to credentialing, it also considers how these educators negotiate their identity in the workplace. Using labeling theory, the impact of the category of refugee and how that label impacts work life is interrogated. Partially as a result of the labels associated with being a refugee, findings indicate that, for educators from refugee backgrounds, there are significant barriers to credentialing, their knowledge and experience from outside of the U.S. is rarely taken seriously in many workplace environments, and, consequently, a lack of confidence can easily develop. Despite all of this, educators from refugee backgrounds often have extensive experience in education and can more easily connect to diverse student populations and their families. Suggestions for how best to expand the hiring of educators from refugee backgrounds are provided, as well as implications for future research.

In this original research manuscript, we examined how gender, race, and ethnic heritage shape the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-related and higher education aspirations of different communities of refugee youth and families participating in university–community organization partnerships. Families from various ethnic-based community organizations in Arizona (serving Bhutanese, Burundian, Congolese, Somali, and Syrian people) participated in this study. Using social cognitive career theory as our conceptual framework and a qualitative research approach, we conducted interviews and focus groups with 27 families over two years to better understand their experiences. We found that the youth and families in our study experienced the following: (1) a recognition of the value of STEM education; (2) the value of consistent support from parents and community members; and (3) appreciation for the practical interventions provided by the university–community partnership. Additionally, families communicated conflicting perceptions of the salience of race and gender. We concluded by discussing the implications of the study findings for higher education scholarship and practice.

Internal and civil wars affect the lives of religious and ethnic minorities the most. For Syrian citizens of Armenian origin, the Republic of Armenia represented one of the most accessible and meaningful destinations to relocate to, shaped by shared ethnicity, collective memory, and historical ties. When the Syrian war erupted in 2011, thousands opted to resettle in Armenia, yet they and host institutions struggled to categorize them as immigrants, refugees, or repatriates. This ambiguous status has received little scholarly attention. To explore these complexities, the study employed a survey-based research design involving 124 participants, supplemented by an open-ended question intended to capture personal narratives and nuanced identity negotiations. The manuscript examines how the labels immigrant, refugee, and repatriate carry distinct legal, social, and emotional implications, especially against the backdrop of the 1915 Armenian Genocide’s enduring memory and the particularly negative connotations of “immigrant” and “refugee” in Western Armenian and Arabic languages. Within this contested semantic and policy terrain, repatriation appears not merely as a bureaucratic category but as a culturally resonant and sometimes preferred pathway for some Diaspora Armenians, informed by lifelong exposure to repatriation narratives through formal education (language textbooks) and informal communal practices. The case sheds light on the broader conception of stakeholders, including how they self-identify, how they understand their status in Armenia, and the factors shaping their choices, particularly in the context of contemporary geopolitics and the role of education in influencing external perceptions of them.