received her MA in rhetoric and composition from Oregon State University in 2011 and her Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership and Research from Oregon State University in 2016. She joined the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Oregon State University as a member of the professional faculty in 2016. In this role, she provides engineering communications instruction to students as they progress through the senior capstone project and develop relationships with project stakeholders in industry. She also supports transformative engineering program development, research, and implementation. In addition to her Ph. D. research interests in adult learning theory, post-colonialist critical consciousness, program design, and qualitative research, she is also collaborating on research in the areas of communications-related success factors of recent engineering graduates in industry and effective tools for instructors of integrated engineering and communications courses.

LatinX student enrollments in community colleges in the United States are rapidly growing, yet LatinX student success rates have not matched this growth. There is a need for community college programs that serve LatinX student populations more effectively and incorporate multicultural educational practices. Using Anzaldúa’s Mestiza consciousness theory, this study analyzed community learning testimonios written by Latin American movement leaders and identified common themes applicable to a process of critical consciousness development in critical educational programs. The themes common across the four testimonios were (a) collective motivation for learning; (b) organizational dynamics, practices, and values; (c) critical social consciousness; and (d) transcendent communal awareness of identity.

This review of research suggests a need for service-learning programs that empower Latina/o students. Research on the status of Latina/os in higher education and key challenges to Latina/o student success highlights the demand for innovative programmatic solutions. A review of postcolonialist educational and Latina/o student identity theory along with case studies from critical service-learning programs is presented to provide a framework for program innovation, and recommendations are made for future program development research. Resumen Esta revisión de la literatura sugirió la necesidad existente de programas de aprendizaje en servicio que emancipen estudiantes latina/os. Investigación sobre el estado de estudiantes latino/as en educación superior y los retos claves para el éxito de estudiantes latina/os acentúa la demanda de soluciones programáticas innovadoras. Una revisión de teoría post-colonialista educacional e identidad estudiantil junto con casos de estudio de servicio crítico de programas de aprendizaje se presenta para proveer un marco de innovación en programas, y se hacen recomendaciones para el desarrollo de investigación de futuros programas.

received her MA in rhetoric and composition from Oregon State University in 2011 and her Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership and Research from Oregon State University in 2016. She joined the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Oregon State University as a member of the professional faculty in 2016. In this role, she provides engineering communications instruction to students as they progress through the senior capstone project and develop relationships with project stakeholders in industry. She also supports engineering communications program development, research, and implementation. In addition to her Ph. D. research interests in service learning, program design, and qualitative research, she is also collaborating on research in the areas of communications-related success factors of recent engineering graduates in industry and effective tools for instructors of integrated engineering and communications courses.