Institutional Holistic Undocu-Care: Lessons from the Changing Socioemotional States of Undocumented STEM Students During the First Three Years of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The present study drew from the framework of socioemotional development and used an exploratory qualitative interview methodology to understand the socioemotional states of undocumented STEM students in a community college at the start and after three years of living during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study revealed that students underwent a shift from largely negative socioemotional states at the start of the pandemic to positive socioemotional states after three years, but their reasons were complex and varied. Hence, the researcher proposed an implication for practice for community colleges to establish Institutional Holistic Undocu-Care to effectively assist undocumented STEM students and their multidimensional and intersectional needs.