“By Creating My Narrative, I Establish My Identity”: Reflections of Students With Refugee Backgrounds in a Year-Long Storytelling Project

This study explores the role of storytelling in the development of narrative identity among students with refugee backgrounds, drawing on the experiences of four postsecondary students in Clarkston, Georgia, who participated in a year-long storytelling project. Framed within a narrative inquiry approach, the study demonstrates how storytelling created a safe and supportive community where participants could take ownership of the stories and develop a sense of agency. Through group reflections and interviews, participants described how storytelling allowed them to process experiences of displacement and resettlement. The findings emphasize the importance of educational spaces both in and out of school that integrate storytelling to enable newcomer students to reflect on their experiences and construct their identities.