Learning Sciences Brown Bag Talks: Dr. Martha Ferede

Dr. Martha Ferede

Harvard University

“More than Winning the Lottery” Refugee youth’s Academic Integration in Canadian Universities

What if there was a model of integrating refugees into a host country that also provided higher education access and social support? Since 1978, World University Service of Canada (WUSC), an Ottawa-based international development organization, has sponsored 1,355 refugee youth from the asylum countries of Kenya, Thailand, Syria, and Malawi and placed them directly into 61 of the nations university and college campuses. As much as resettlement into Canada and entry into university is a substantial improvement from a harsh refugee existence, this new life whereby refugee youth are thrust into demanding academic programs within weeks of arrival is not without its challenges. This talk will focus on research findings on the academic integration of 24 refugee youth resettled from 2007-2011: their experiences, motivations for course selection, trajectories, challenges, and the resources they employ to manage them.

Martha K. Ferede is a mixed-methods researcher and consultant who specializes in international higher education policy and the mobility/integration of students and faculty. She recently completed her doctorate from Harvard University.

For more upcoming talks, please visit the Learning Sciences Brown Bag Talks page.