UC Riverside

When discussing students’ educational experience on campus, including race and racism, previous studies usually discuss domestic and international students separately and use different theoretical frameworks. Previous literature examining international students focused on the individual characteristics of students and how those associated with their personal adjustment to their campus environment (e.g., Andrade, 2006; Khawaja & Stallman, 2011; Ward & Masgoret, 2009). Little attention has been given to critical frameworks that address the international student population, considering not only on students’ race and ethnicity as major factors, but also engages international students’ direct racial experiences within specific institutional types. This study explores Asian international graduate students’ experiences of campus racial climate and resistance strategies in a Minority-serving Institution (MSI) in the U.S. This study uncovers how racialization experiences are shaped by students' own ethnic backgrounds, the history of the U.S.’s racial stratification system, and national and global contexts. My research also raises timely concerns of anti-Asian racism in the U.S. due to America’s shifting political climate and the serious consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on higher education. Despite facing microaggressions and other forms of oppressions on and off-campus, Asian international graduate students engage in resistance strategies to adjust to and combat microaggressions, institutional invisibility, and academic injustices. This research is guided by a qualitative research methodology utilizing a single case study to focus on an individual’s lived experiences. The aim of this research also includes ameliorating oppressive attitudes to Asian international students.