This presentation will help attendees (1) understand the nuances in refugee/immigrant/newcomer experiences and backgrounds, (2) critically examine the intersections of race and immigration in the U.S. historical context, and (3) explore strategies to support refugee and newcomer immigrant students in K-12 settings.
Marie L. Tanaka
Dr. Marie L. Tanaka (she/her/ella) is a multilingual Japanese-Korean American, cisgender daughter of immigrants. Dr. Tanaka earned her doctorate from the University of Arizona’s school psychology program where she minored in Social, Cultural, Critical Theory. She has several years of experience instructing newcomer immigrant middle school students and has taught adolescents abroad as part of a Fulbright scholarship. In Arizona, she mentored as part of the Refugee Youth Mentorship Program and volunteered at Casa Alitas, a program that assists migrant families and asylum seekers arriving in the U.S. At the UofA, Dr. Tanaka initiated a partnership between her doctoral program and the Immigrant Student Resource Center on campus so under/graduate students with DACA, undocumented status, and/or from mixed-family status backgrounds could receive high-quality, culturally relevat mental health services. Dr. Tanaka’s research has covered various topics including the examination of (1) how middle school teachers both support and unknowingly undermine racially/ethnically minoritized newcomer immigrant student growth and (2) experiences of Black Indigenous Women of Color graduate students in school psychology doctoral programs. In her free time, she enjoys caring for plants and dogs, learning languages, and playing through acroyoga. She values rest, community, accountability, and genuineness.
