Undergraduate Research & Scholarships

Senai Gebretensae Social Science

Academic Resilience in Higher Education: A Study Comparing Formerly Incarcerated/Carceral Systems Impacted & Traditional students' Successes Despite Adversity

Scholars Journal

Senai's research aims to study the past lived experiences of both Formerly Incarcerated/Carceral Systems Impacted and Traditional/Non-Systems Impacted students at UC Berkeley through in-depth qualitative interviews, focusing on identifying and contextualizing instances of adversity, in hopes of effectively measuring the disparity in resiliency between the two types of student. Although literature can be found on definitions of resilience and the inequitable conditions of being a formerly incarcerated academic separately, this study will combine these lenses, incorporating traditional student experiences, to destigmatize the FI/SI condition, revitalize funding, encourage the development and expansion of accommodations, and encourage the implementation and normalization of additional programs and policies such as equitable career and housing options for formerly incarcerated students.