An Anti-Deficit Investigation of Resilience Among University Students with Adverse Experiences

Abstract

Experiencing extreme adversity — such as homelessness, abuse, or incarceration — creates barriers for educational success. Yet, there is a dearth of literature on the higher education pathways of students who experienced adversity (SEA). A researcher-practitioner collaboration aimed to understand the structural challenges SEA navigated on campus and the factors promoting their resilience and retention. Ten SEA-identified students participated in semi-structured in-depth interviews. Using thematic analyses, we constructed three themes describing challenges they encountered, including experiencing a lack of community, safety concerns, and stigmatization. We also noted four themes reflecting resilience, including how SEA found a sanctuary through a campus program, gave back to similar others, reframed stigmatization, and gained personal strength through networks. An anti-deficit framework helped identify how SEA are leveraging their community strengths and past experiences to thrive in institutions still not fully prepared to serve them. We offer recommendations for how institutions can be more inclusive of SEA.