Date of Award
8-23-2024
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Cultural Foundations of Education
Advisor(s)
Gretchen Lopez
Subject Categories
Education
Abstract
Within the last decade, scholars of color have researched and advocated for better support for first-generation, Latine students, in particular through the critical analysis of the impact of the campus racial climate (Franklin et al., 2014; Huerta & Fishman, 2014; Hurtado & Alvarado, 2015; Kouyoumdijan et al., 2017). These reimagined supports include but are not limited to: increase in faculty and staff of color, increase funding for spaces designated for these students, easier access to mental health resources, and an overall emphasis on nurturing the well-being of Latine students. This study, in part, addresses how educators at Predominantly white Institutions can better serve underrepresented students through becoming more knowledgeable of the systemic obstacles they face. The methodologies that anchor this qualitative study stem from critical race methodology as defined by Solórzano & Yosso (2023); Critical Race Theory and Latine Critical Race Theory. This study involved interviewing and collecting the testimonios of 13 undergraduate students who self-identified as Latine and first-generation. By relying on students as knowledge producers in this study, they are granted a voice in a way that is typically not seen in higher education research, further extending this research method (Haber-Curran & Tapia-Fuselier, 2020). Not only does this method grant them autonomy over their own lived experiences, but it also allows them to have power over what is communicated to these institutions. For Latine students who are commonly viewed through a deficit-based lens, this study aimed to change the narrative around what these students are capable of to one that is strength-based. This study concludes with institutional recommendations such as reassessing financial aid resources, counseling and psychological services and disability services, expanding first-generation-specific resources, creating an on-campus cultural center, and raising institutional support for student organizations.
Access
Open Access
Recommended Citation
Guzman, Cassaundra Victoria, "Las Voces Poderosas: Valuing Latine Undergraduate Perspectives When Re-Assessing Holistic Student Supports at Predominantly white Institutions" (2024). Dissertations - ALL. 1983.
https://surface.syr.edu/etd/1983
