STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: A declaration of independence

Suganya Sankaranarayanan knows how harmful a cycle of dependency can be. 

She knows because she has seen her community college students from immigrant backgrounds grapple with it. 

She knows because she has struggled to break free from it herself during her 15 years in the U.S.

“Before I got a job and started getting paid, I was basically a dependent in all forms and shapes of life,” said Sankaranarayanan, a full-time business instructor at MiraCosta Community College. “I was economically dependent and sometimes emotionally dependent. Even if I had to go to Walmart to pick up milk or bread, I needed somebody to take me there and pay the money, you know. 

“It’s a very vicious cycle.” 

Now a doctoral student in San Diego State University’s Ed.D. in Community College Leadership (CCLEAD) program, Sankaranarayanan examines equity-centered transformation in higher education. Helping students break dependency cycles is both the focus of her dissertation and a very personal passion.  

"Those setbacks that I had, the fear that I had — everything is now transforming into a positive act,”  she said. “Those were there and that’s okay. And it’s because of those that I am here today."

Starting over

Sankaranarayanan was raised in Chennai in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. She was academically accomplished, earning a master’s degree in business management while supported by her parents. But her ambition was sidetracked when her family arranged for her to be married — a common practice throughout much of South Asia — to an Indian man who was working in San Diego.

Within 10 days of her marriage, Sankaranarayanan moved to the U.S.

“I was pretty lost because when I moved here everything was new,” she said. “The language, culture, education, system, food — you name it."

Seeking purpose outside the home, Sankaranarayanan enrolled at nearby Southwestern Community College despite the fact that she already had a master’s degree. She thought she’d have to start her educational trajectory over from scratch and didn’t know where else to begin.

While at Southwestern, she started tutoring and assistant teaching and showed promise. One of the instructors she worked with closely took an interest.

“She asked me, ‘What are you doing here?’” Sankaranarayanan said. “I told her my situation and that I didn’t know how to proceed.” 

The instructor guided her through the evaluation process of seeking a foreign equivalency certification for her Indian master’s degree. Once completed, she sent Sankaranarayanan an email with one brief, declarative statement.

“You’re teaching next semester.”

Confidence and purpose

That small bit of guidance and support made all the difference. Sankaranarayanan has since taught business courses at multiple community colleges in San Diego County. Three years ago, she was hired to a full time position at MiraCosta, where she was recently recommended for tenure.

It was a fortuitous break, and Sankaranarayanan knows not everyone in her shoes is so lucky. It’s a realization that has fueled the passion she has for making a difference for others. Her contention is that facilitating student connections with both instructors and peers is essential to empowering immigrant students.

“This topic is important because female immigrant women in the United States are stuck like me in this visa situation,” she said. “About 87% of H-4 visa holders in the United States are women. H-4 visa holders are typically highly educated and skilled, with nearly 89% holding at least a bachelor’s degree. These are the students we see in classrooms that are really struggling  emotionally, physically, mentally, financially. 

“How are we going to address this issue as educators?”

Now in her second year of the CCLEAD program, Sankaranarayanan has flourished under the mentorship of faculty in the Department of Administration, Rehabilitation and 

Postsecondary Education — particularly Assistant Professor Tanya Gaxiola Serrano, whom she considers and inspirational mentor, Professor Felisha Herrera Villarreal, her dissertation chair, and CCLEAD Director Wendy Bracken.

Beyond the insight she has gleaned into the U.S. community college system, her biggest takeaway has been newfound confidence.

“The belief that they have in me is more than I have in myself,” Sankaranarayanan said. “That helps me so much and empowers me to do the work that I’m doing."

More barriers remain. Though she can now legally work, she constantly needs to renew her visa, causing stress and uncertainty. She and her spouse have applied for Green Cards, but have spent 15 years in the queue.

“What happens tomorrow is something that I cannot predict,” she says. “I cannot say for sure that I will be here, I will be doing this job and I will earn this income to support my family.”

But she hopes this is only the beginning of her journey in academia. And when she looks at her daughters — now 12 and 14 — she finds the motivation to cast fear and doubt aside and do the work she’s doing.

“I want them to know that women are as capable and as efficient as any other person in this world,” Sankaranarayanan said. “Having that female immigrant identity has not been easy. I’m very proud of that, but it comes with its own set of challenges. I grew up in a very patriarchal society where marriage and having kids was basically the only responsibility that you should have as a woman. 

“Breaking those barriers and being here and doing the work that I’m doing itself is an everyday challenge.”