Racialization, the aspirations of young people and discrimination have been at the heart of sociological investigation since the birth of sociology as a discipline in the United States. Since the election of Barak Obama as president of the United States, one critically important discussion that has emerged is the impact of this event on the aspirations of young people, especially the children of immigrants and young people of color. However, as researchers we can only understand this impact if we first understand critical aspects of the aspirations and goals of these groups of young people before this epic historical event. Using the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study (CILS) data this dissertation research investigates the racial-ethnic identity and aspirations of the children of immigrants in the United States. The research will probe the relationships that exist between aspirations and racial/ethnic identity for youth as they move through adolescence into emerging adulthood. The overarching research questions are: (1) What relationships exist between identity and aspirations for the children of immigrants; (2) What types of aspirations exist among 1.5 and second generation immigrant youth; and (3) How do these youth integrate aspects of racialization and social position into their identity? The research described herein has two goals; (1) ascertain the types of aspirations that exist among immigrant youth; and (2) begin to understand the relationships that exist between racial-ethnic identity and aspirations for these youth. This dissertation research is seen to contribute to our present understanding of immigrant youth of color, aspirations and identity in at least two ways. First it will facilitate an understanding of the way that identity, specifically racial-ethnic identity is integrated and used by youth to make decisions about their lives. Second, this study will illuminate how the aspirations of immigrant youth change over time and if these changes are related to changes in racial-ethnic identification and other social aspects of racial-ethnic identity.
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