Date of Conferral

8-6-2026

Date of Award

August 2026

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

Lori Demeter

Abstract

Despite the availability of institutional services and interventions, cultural integration outcomes among refugees and immigrants often remain uneven. Existing literature has demonstrated the important role of nonprofit organizations in supporting refugee and immigrant resettlement and early integration. However, comparatively little research has examined how refugees and immigrants themselves experience the influence of nonprofit services on long-term cultural integration. The purpose of this general qualitative study was to explore how nonprofit services and programs influence the cultural integration experiences of Ethiopian refugees and immigrants in Chicago through the lens of the new assimilation theory and the integration context perspective. Data were analyzed using hand-coded thematic analysis. Findings indicated that cultural integration was a multidimensional and context-dependent process shaped by interactions among individuals, families, communities, institutions, and broader structural environments. Education, employment, community networks, identity, belonging, and institutional participation emerged as important thematic dimensions of integration, while nonprofit organizations facilitated access to resources, opportunities, information, and community support as key themes. The study contributed to understanding immigrant integration by highlighting the important recommendation of considering institutional contexts, community participation, identity, and belonging in shaping integration programs and policies. Strengthening institutional and community-based practices that promote inclusion, belonging, and long-term integration within increasingly diverse communities may successfully promote positive outcomes for positive social change.

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