Immigrant Education in the Age of Globalization

By Ayush Kashyap

     Our world is connected. With the advancements in global education and travel, educated immigrants have come to drive the economies of countries everywhere. Equipped with advanced degrees and specialized skills, it is no surprise why they are welcomed into countries everywhere, immediately landing high-skill jobs in a variety of fields. With so many educated immigrants, it is easy to overlook those who are struggling with the advent of globalization – immigrants lacking higher education.

     Recent studies indicate that approximately 30 percent of US immigrants have attained a bachelor’s degree or higher in their educational journey. This means that the 70 percent without higher education often struggle to compete with the much larger US-born population for the same jobs. Furthermore, their children must go through a foreign education system without a career mentor or an educational advising system. Education is the foundation upon which lives are built; a poor foundation can jeopardize a child’s life stability out of no fault of his or her own.

     The lack of social resources only serves to worsen academic adversity. Immigrants are thrust into a new environment with no contacts or connections in any industry. While many children speak with friends, family, and acquaintances to obtain internships, most children of immigrants only have a few family members in their new world, most of whom are statistically unlikely to have completed higher education. With little to no help in pursuing a career from mentors, the path to higher education is blurry for these immigrants.

     It is our responsibility to ensure our future generations are not hindered by an educational resource gap. We must target the issue where it begins; school-aged children and their lack of guidance. By providing essential educational resources and mentoring to students who need it most, we provide the medium for our future leaders to grow.