The study explored how Mexican-origin women in STEM utilized Anzaldua’s borderlands of identity a... more The study explored how Mexican-origin women in STEM utilized Anzaldua’s borderlands of identity and Conocimientos to successfully navigate between Mexican-origin cultures and STEM cultures. Students experienced life-changing events during their studies (el arrebato) and felt torn between STEM and Mexican-origin cultures ( Nepantla). However, students also sought to reimagine their futures ( Coyolxuahqui, the blow-up) and use their degrees to help their communities.
Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering
A qualitative, phenomenological approach was used in this study to examine how undergraduate Lati... more A qualitative, phenomenological approach was used in this study to examine how undergraduate Latina students in computing leveraged community cultural wealth (CCW) to succeed in college. Preliminary findings suggest that students leveraged familial, navigational, and resistant capital to succeed in higher education computing spaces. Latina students derived valuable knowledge and skills from their families that they translated into their computing spaces, including content and industry knowledge, traits such as confidence and self-efficacy, and assistance with educational logistics. Students utilized family relationships, online academic resources, classroom peers, student organizations, and campus offices to navigate the challenges they encountered. Students also resisted marginalization in both internal (e.g., individual persistence) and external (e.g., speaking up against injustice) ways to benefit themselves and support future Latina students entering computing fields. Specifical...
Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate how Latino men’s conceptions of masculini... more Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate how Latino men’s conceptions of masculinities influenced their attitudes and behaviors during the transition from community colleges to 4-year institutions. Method: A phenomenological approach was used to explore the lived experiences of 34 Latino men across Texas, California, and Florida. Each participant was interviewed twice; all data were recorded, transcribed, and coded for themes. Results: Findings suggest that, although prior conceptions of masculinities can sometimes provide positive tools during transfer, these conceptions also cause challenges as men negotiate incongruences between their masculine identity and what is required to succeed in college. Participation in on-campus men’s groups and student organizations can help Latino students navigate these incongruences and negotiate their own intersectional identities and conceptualizations of masculinities in light of their new environment. Contributions: This study de...
International Journal of Leadership in Education, 2021
Utilizing a values-based leadership philosophy, the authors explored how Latino undergraduate men... more Utilizing a values-based leadership philosophy, the authors explored how Latino undergraduate men make meaning of their masculinity and how this meaning shapes their understanding and performance o...
This study examines an aspect of gender and racial/ethnic gaps in undergraduate computing by focu... more This study examines an aspect of gender and racial/ethnic gaps in undergraduate computing by focusing on sense of belonging among women and underrepresented minority (URM) introductory computing students. We examine change in sense of belonging during the introductory course as well as the predictors of belonging, with attention to conditional effects by gender and URM status. Results show that sense of belonging outcomes are a product of both incoming student characteristics and college environments and experiences, highlighting the important role the computing faculty play in fostering belonging. These and other findings are discussed, focusing on sense of belonging among women, URM students, and URM women.
This qualitative study sought to identify the academic and social challenges that Latino men enco... more This qualitative study sought to identify the academic and social challenges that Latino men encountered during college as well as understand how Latino men utilized coping responses to overcome those obstacles. Latino men in this study most often encountered four major academic and social obstacles during their college experience: over involvement with on-campus organizations, academic preparedness, family influence, and building a support system. To cope with these challenges, study participants often chose to cope internally with obstacles, rather than reaching out and utilizing support systems. The men who utilized support systems to cope with their challenges relied mainly on college peers and mentors.
This qualitative study examined how first-generation Mexican American college students sought sup... more This qualitative study examined how first-generation Mexican American college students sought support from their families to cope with challenges. Some students had very close relationships with their family members and allowed them to be an integral part of their coping processes. However, others separated family from the coping or built chosen “families” from college peers and mentors to help them cope. In most instances, students simultaneously engaged in multiple coping processes to meet their individual needs.
This qualitative research study describes how a Midwest community college’s implementation of an ... more This qualitative research study describes how a Midwest community college’s implementation of an Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (SSTEM) program influences engineering identity development for its students with financial need. Using a phenomenological approach, the study finds that the program enables community college students to have greater financial freedom and an ability to focus on engineering identity. In addition, the SSTEM program enhances student connections with STEM faculty, program staff, and peers. The study highlights the need for creating spaces for engineering identity development, developing connections between faculty, staff, and students, and enhancing transfer connections through different experiences. Future research might look to longitudinal designs and investigate additional contexts, engineering disciplines, gender differences, and programmatic structures to add nuance to these findings. The study suggests that practitioner...
The purpose of this multi-institutional qualitative study was to understand the educational pathw... more The purpose of this multi-institutional qualitative study was to understand the educational pathways of Latino males by underscoring the unique role female family members play in their academic pursuits—through the voice of these young men. Findings demonstrate female family members were identified as being primary supporters of their educational pursuits, and actively leveraged different sources of cultural capital to help Latino males enroll and persist through postsecondary education. This study reinforces extant literature on the importance of family in the educational pathways of Latina/o students. Furthermore, it makes a unique contribution by highlighting the important role female family members hold in the Latino family as educational advocates.
Association of Mexican American Educators Journal, 2017
Academic scholarship has demonstrated the importance of father engagement in fostering early educ... more Academic scholarship has demonstrated the importance of father engagement in fostering early educational success of their children, but little exploration in this area has focused on the role that fathers play in the college success of their Latino male sons. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the role of fathers in the educational success of Latino men attending community colleges. Using community cultural wealth as a lens for this study, the experiences of 130 Latino men at community colleges in Texas were highlighted. Results demonstrated how fathers provided support, consejos (advice), and encouragement to their sons. Nonetheless, fathers also expected their sons to work and contribute to the family finances. These complications influenced the way in which Latino men viewed the college-going process and interacted with their fathers.
The study explored how Mexican-origin women in STEM utilized Anzaldua’s borderlands of identity a... more The study explored how Mexican-origin women in STEM utilized Anzaldua’s borderlands of identity and Conocimientos to successfully navigate between Mexican-origin cultures and STEM cultures. Students experienced life-changing events during their studies (el arrebato) and felt torn between STEM and Mexican-origin cultures ( Nepantla). However, students also sought to reimagine their futures ( Coyolxuahqui, the blow-up) and use their degrees to help their communities.
Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering
A qualitative, phenomenological approach was used in this study to examine how undergraduate Lati... more A qualitative, phenomenological approach was used in this study to examine how undergraduate Latina students in computing leveraged community cultural wealth (CCW) to succeed in college. Preliminary findings suggest that students leveraged familial, navigational, and resistant capital to succeed in higher education computing spaces. Latina students derived valuable knowledge and skills from their families that they translated into their computing spaces, including content and industry knowledge, traits such as confidence and self-efficacy, and assistance with educational logistics. Students utilized family relationships, online academic resources, classroom peers, student organizations, and campus offices to navigate the challenges they encountered. Students also resisted marginalization in both internal (e.g., individual persistence) and external (e.g., speaking up against injustice) ways to benefit themselves and support future Latina students entering computing fields. Specifical...
Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate how Latino men’s conceptions of masculini... more Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate how Latino men’s conceptions of masculinities influenced their attitudes and behaviors during the transition from community colleges to 4-year institutions. Method: A phenomenological approach was used to explore the lived experiences of 34 Latino men across Texas, California, and Florida. Each participant was interviewed twice; all data were recorded, transcribed, and coded for themes. Results: Findings suggest that, although prior conceptions of masculinities can sometimes provide positive tools during transfer, these conceptions also cause challenges as men negotiate incongruences between their masculine identity and what is required to succeed in college. Participation in on-campus men’s groups and student organizations can help Latino students navigate these incongruences and negotiate their own intersectional identities and conceptualizations of masculinities in light of their new environment. Contributions: This study de...
International Journal of Leadership in Education, 2021
Utilizing a values-based leadership philosophy, the authors explored how Latino undergraduate men... more Utilizing a values-based leadership philosophy, the authors explored how Latino undergraduate men make meaning of their masculinity and how this meaning shapes their understanding and performance o...
This study examines an aspect of gender and racial/ethnic gaps in undergraduate computing by focu... more This study examines an aspect of gender and racial/ethnic gaps in undergraduate computing by focusing on sense of belonging among women and underrepresented minority (URM) introductory computing students. We examine change in sense of belonging during the introductory course as well as the predictors of belonging, with attention to conditional effects by gender and URM status. Results show that sense of belonging outcomes are a product of both incoming student characteristics and college environments and experiences, highlighting the important role the computing faculty play in fostering belonging. These and other findings are discussed, focusing on sense of belonging among women, URM students, and URM women.
This qualitative study sought to identify the academic and social challenges that Latino men enco... more This qualitative study sought to identify the academic and social challenges that Latino men encountered during college as well as understand how Latino men utilized coping responses to overcome those obstacles. Latino men in this study most often encountered four major academic and social obstacles during their college experience: over involvement with on-campus organizations, academic preparedness, family influence, and building a support system. To cope with these challenges, study participants often chose to cope internally with obstacles, rather than reaching out and utilizing support systems. The men who utilized support systems to cope with their challenges relied mainly on college peers and mentors.
This qualitative study examined how first-generation Mexican American college students sought sup... more This qualitative study examined how first-generation Mexican American college students sought support from their families to cope with challenges. Some students had very close relationships with their family members and allowed them to be an integral part of their coping processes. However, others separated family from the coping or built chosen “families” from college peers and mentors to help them cope. In most instances, students simultaneously engaged in multiple coping processes to meet their individual needs.
This qualitative research study describes how a Midwest community college’s implementation of an ... more This qualitative research study describes how a Midwest community college’s implementation of an Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (SSTEM) program influences engineering identity development for its students with financial need. Using a phenomenological approach, the study finds that the program enables community college students to have greater financial freedom and an ability to focus on engineering identity. In addition, the SSTEM program enhances student connections with STEM faculty, program staff, and peers. The study highlights the need for creating spaces for engineering identity development, developing connections between faculty, staff, and students, and enhancing transfer connections through different experiences. Future research might look to longitudinal designs and investigate additional contexts, engineering disciplines, gender differences, and programmatic structures to add nuance to these findings. The study suggests that practitioner...
The purpose of this multi-institutional qualitative study was to understand the educational pathw... more The purpose of this multi-institutional qualitative study was to understand the educational pathways of Latino males by underscoring the unique role female family members play in their academic pursuits—through the voice of these young men. Findings demonstrate female family members were identified as being primary supporters of their educational pursuits, and actively leveraged different sources of cultural capital to help Latino males enroll and persist through postsecondary education. This study reinforces extant literature on the importance of family in the educational pathways of Latina/o students. Furthermore, it makes a unique contribution by highlighting the important role female family members hold in the Latino family as educational advocates.
Association of Mexican American Educators Journal, 2017
Academic scholarship has demonstrated the importance of father engagement in fostering early educ... more Academic scholarship has demonstrated the importance of father engagement in fostering early educational success of their children, but little exploration in this area has focused on the role that fathers play in the college success of their Latino male sons. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the role of fathers in the educational success of Latino men attending community colleges. Using community cultural wealth as a lens for this study, the experiences of 130 Latino men at community colleges in Texas were highlighted. Results demonstrated how fathers provided support, consejos (advice), and encouragement to their sons. Nonetheless, fathers also expected their sons to work and contribute to the family finances. These complications influenced the way in which Latino men viewed the college-going process and interacted with their fathers.
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