Felecia S. Russell, Ed.D

Founder, Embracing Undocumented | [email protected]

Director, Higher Ed Immigration Portal, The Presidents Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration
Areas of Expertise: Black Immigrant Story-Teller| Undocumented Students | College Access & Success | Higher Education | DACA| UndocuBlack| Professional Development

Felecia was born in a small village in Jamaica and immigrated to the United States at a young age. She learned she was undocumented in high school. Her immigration status presented significant barriers to higher education; even so, she earned a bachelor’s, a master’s and a doctorate degree. She also conducts research on the invisibility of Black undocumented people, sharing the stories of an often overlooked population. She was recently featured on MSNBC.

Features and Associations

Felecia’s story was recently featured on MSNBC, “12th anniversary of a flawed immigration policy”

Other recent articles include, “Black Immigrants are erased from the immigrant narrative“, and “What Does it Mean to be UndocuBlack? Exploring the Double Invisibility of Black Undocumented Immigrant Students in U.S. Colleges and Universities” .

In 2018, Felecia wrote a story for the National Immigration Law Center to document her journey as a DREAMer. At the time, she was afraid to reveal her undocumented status, so she used a pseudonym.

Felecia was also featured in Pepperdine University’s Magazine. 

See Felecia's Recent Podcast Episode

Education

May 2022
Ed.D Temple University, Higher Education
April 2015
Master of Public Policy Pepperdine University
April 2013
BA, California Lutheran University