Few studies investigate Latinx first-generation college student (FGCS) success. The bulk of existing literature focuses on obstacles this population encounters. It is vital to produce studies that focus on both challenges and strengths in order to support this population's success. College counselors may help students navigate obstacles and…

Due to low English language arts (ELA) state test scores among Hispanic students, district administrators in a Title I identified school district implemented a new literacy policy that included both supplemental education services for Hispanic students (SES-HS) and professional development in cultural and linguistic instructional practices (CLIP)…

This study explored how personal, family, and cultural values influence career decision-making in first-generation Latinas. As the number of first-generation Latinas in higher education grows, there is a need to address their distinct needs as they navigate higher education and the career decision-making process. Their experience is unique and…

Latine bachelor's degree completion has grown in the last several decades but has not kept pace with other racial and ethnic groups. Millions of Latines have successfully navigated higher education, yet not enough is known about the conduits and barriers to timely degree completion. This dissertation utilizes LatCrit, Anti-Deficit Achievement, and…

The current paper examines associations between preschool cognitive and behavioral skills and indicators of college enrollment in a sample (n = 379) of primarily Black and Hispanic youth growing up in low-income areas of Chicago. Although we found that most early cognitive and behavioral skills were only weakly or moderately related to later…

Research indicates that women and Students of Color are less likely than men or White students to succeed in STEM degree pathways due to pre-college factors, college engagement, and campus environments. Similarly, racially and ethnically minoritized students, particularly Black and Latinx students, are underrepresented in STEM degree fields and…

This dissertation uses an ethnographic approach, observations, field notes, and interviews to analyze how Chicanx/Latinx students create counter-spaces to cultivate their epistemological needs and validate their identities within a predominantly white institution (PWI). The project uses the "Nopalera" Framework created by an artist…

Guided by a Culturally Relevant Pedagogy framework, we used a phenomenological research design to explore nine Latinx graduate students' lived experiences in online courses at a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). In this study, we analyzed nine Latinx graduate students' interview transcripts that focused on lived experiences with online learning.…

This study utilized focus groups with Latinx students at a private, Midwestern university to explore the complexities inherent in the process of becoming a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). The purpose of the study was: (a) to better understand Latinx students' experiences at an "emerging" HSI, and (b) to understand how students…

Hossler and Gallagher's college choice model is a foundational model for understanding students' college choice experience. Various scholars have critiqued the model for assuming that all students have equitable access to college information and resources. Therefore, building on the literature on Latinx undocumented students college access…

An anonymous survey was given to n = 73 students in an asynchronous online statistical literacy course at a mid-sized Hispanic Serving Institution. Informed by teaching experience, literature on lexical ambiguity, and everyday usage of statistics words and phrases, the first author designed the survey to yield insight into how students view…

Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) play a prominent role in the nation's higher education system. For example, 574 HSIs enrolled over 2 million Hispanic students in the 2021-2022 school year, representing 60 percent of all Hispanic students in college. Like most colleges, HSIs must continue to invest in their facilities and digital…

Purpose: Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields are not known for producing a high number of racial activists. On the contrary, scientific discourse often traffics in race-neutral language and ideologies, all the while producing racist science and technologies. This research explored the relationship between racial…

This paper describes the implementation of a STEM scholarship program which utilized a holistic approach to providing a multi-dimensional student support system. The program has been successful in encouraging and supporting women in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science by offering a diverse suite of extracurricular opportunities, actively…

As teacher education programs encourage more candidates to pursue bilingual certification, a need exists to improve the ways that preservice teachers (PSTs) are prepared to teach in bilingual classrooms. Research suggests the importance of preparing PSTs in the area of linguistic ideological clarity. Scholars define ideological clarity as an…