Latinas at a Hispanic-serving institution: Resilient resistance affirming race–gender expectancies for college attainment.

Abstract

Many Latinas encounter negative expectations regarding their chances of attending college in the United States. Dominant narratives legitimize these structural and relational negations by depicting Latinas as a group that voluntarily lowers their expectations of themselves as they move through the education pipeline. To increase the representation of Latinas on college campuses, postsecondary institutions are financially incented to become Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). Through the lens of resilient resistance, this qualitative study asks the following questions: (a) How do first-generation college-going Latinas define their educational expectations for postsecondary education? and (b) How do first-generation college-going Latinas enact their educational expectations through the practice of resilient resistance at a Hispanic-Serving Institution? Through the stories of four Latina undergraduates at a 4-year HSI in the American Southwest, this study contends that participants' refusal to accept other people's disbelief ignited their postsecondary education pursuits. As their own educational expectations were overrun by the expectational status quo, the participants utilized their cultural values of familismo to enact resilient resistance as they navigated inbetween institutional spaces. This article calls upon universities to establish equitable conditions within Latinas' educational environments and to actively direct resources toward their ability to leverage human agency, build coalitions, and recenter their own expectations for college success.

Female black, indigenous, and students of color demonstrate greater resilience than other students during a global pandemic

“…Black female leaders in academia are vocal about the marginalization they experienced as students and even more so as leaders (Gause, 2021). BIPOC-W undergraduates, especially Latina and Black students, demonstrate resilience in their everyday lives, under usual conditions, to navigate and succeed in the inequitable academic environment (Liou et al, 2021; West, 2018). These circumstances make it especially difficult for BIPOC-W to succeed and the crisis of a global pandemic exacerbates the challenges.…”

Psychotherapy outcomes with Latinx clients attending Hispanic-serving institutions and predominantly White institutions.

“…For instance, having a critical mass of Latinx students, a more recognizable Latinx cultural heritage on campus, and more culturally diverse peers, staff, and faculty, may provide fertile opportunities to create successful counterspaces that challenge deficit beliefs and low academic expectations to which Latinx students and other students of color are commonly subjected (Castellanos & Gloria, 2007; Cavazos et al, 2010; Garcia, 2016). Indeed, Latinx students who persist in their educational pursuits or who stay resilient when confronted with other people’s doubts about their abilities to succeed academically often report being able to turn to culturally savvy faculty and staff or other Latinxs and students of color for support (e.g., Arana et al, 2011; Garriott et al, 2019; Liou et al, 2021). Hence, therapists and UCCs in HSIs, compared to their PWI counterparts, could more easily leverage such resources to help Latinx clients with their academic distress.…”

“…This compositional diversity, and the higher Latinx representation at HSIs, could enhance therapy outcomes in different ways. For example, Latinx students in HSIs (vs. PWIs) may feel more at home and supported at these institutions (Maestas et al, 2007;Medina & Posadas, 2012) and may have greater opportunities to connect to others who share similar values and identities (Arbelo-Marrero & Milacci, 2016;Garriott et al, 2019;Liou et al, 2021;Maestas et al, 2007;Medina & Posadas, 2012), all of which is theorized to promote Latinx mental health (Adames & Chavez-Dueñas, 2017;Castellanos & Gloria, 2007). UCC therapists may use these features of HSIs for good effect.…”

The Uncertain Path Toward College: How Intersectionality Shaped the Experiences of Latinas Enrolled at a Hispanic-Serving Institution

“…Yet research has shown that Latinas resist oppressive contexts through their community cultural wealth to counter these negative perspectives (Pérez Huber, 2009;Yosso, 2005). Latinas at HSIs may use the practice of resilient resistance and familismo [familism]-beliefs of religiosity, cuentos [stories], consejos [wisdom], and apoyo [support]-to confront the negative educational expectations expressed by others (Liou et al, 2021). Studies on Latinas in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) at HSIs highlight how students use family and the cultural values of education and hard work to overcome competitiveness (Aguirre-Covarrubias et al, 2015) and oppression (Contreras Aguirre et al, 2020) in a White, maledominated field.…”