Abstract  

First-generation college students of color are one of the most frequently targeted groups for access and retention programs in higher education. While access to higher education has increased for marginalized groups, the persistence and graduation rates of first-generation students of color are alarmingly low in comparison to white students. The findings of this study have great potential to contribute to the retention efforts at institutions of higher education. As one of three studies about first-generation Latinas, and the only one to have used mixed methods, the results of this study are transferable and may have some generalizability. The mixed methods, sequential case study design enhances this study's transferability, especially with the high response rate of 59% (n=149) for this population. However, the generalizability may be limited by the fact that the research was conducted with women at one institution, which is also a private, non-profit four-year college.

Purpose of the Study

 The purpose of this study was to highlight the educational experiences of first-generation Latinas as they navigate and persist in higher education, and to add their testimonios to the literature. This study focuses on hearing the voices of these young women as they share the role that their identities as a woman, a person of color, and a first-generation college student play in their education. It also surfaces the constant state of transition that these young women endure in their academic persistence and success.  

The findings of this study include a report of the quantitative findings from the institution's longitudinal dataset(2000 - 2010) and the Campus Climate Survey (2006, 2008, 2010). Data were disaggregated from the institutional data, which contained academic performance benchmarks, such as GPA, retention and probation rates, and terms to degree of all students. Overall, the quantitative data show that first-generation Latinas take longer to graduate (6 years compared to 4.25), are on probation at higher rates than first-generation white women (24.2% and 13% respectively), and graduate with a lower cumulative grade point average (2.81) than do their counterparts (3.24). These quantitative data reveal critical benchmarks of academic performance that may be directly related to scholarships, financial aid, and graduate school endeavors, all of which directly use GPA as qualifying variables.  

Campus Climate Survey data reveal that Latino students and women experience discrimination based on their ethnicity and gender more frequently than do white and male students. Latino students are more likely to have seen or heard insensitive /disparaging comments directed toward people of color than white students (56% to 32%) and have frequently or occasionally been harassed, pressured, or discriminated against on campus because of their ethnic group (20% to 7%). However, Latinas were just as likely to have been harassed, pressured, or discriminated against on campus because of their gender as white women (15% and 16% respectively). Despite this, first-generation Latinas persist in higher education and do so because of their own agency, cultural traditions, and with the support of educational institutions who acknowledge that their experiences as women of color is crucial to their academic success.

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Ser Educada- Mujeres' Testimonios

"It's not just about getting a college degree. It's the whole package, education, morals, values, cultural pride, and...oh yeah being una mujer." (María Luisa)

Each of the following mujeres represents one of the four focus groups, as well as each of the four class levels. They were selected as exemplars for this study because of their ability to express the sentiments and experiences of each of their respective focus groups. And while their individual stories may not be identical to that of all first-generation Latinas at the college, they do provide insight into the nuanced experiences of this student population.

Gaby is a first-year student who prefers to wear jeans, solid t-shirts, with matching sneakers, gold-hooped earrings, and her hair naturally long and curly. Her parents are currently in the process of becoming naturalized citizens. She describes herself, as a "Latina from the city (San Francisco) who wasn't supposed to make it to college but did anyway, y qué (and what)?"

Esmeralda, a psychology major, is a sophomore from northern California. She comes from a single-mother household with traditional values and sees herself as a living example of how Latinas can and do make it to and through college, but not without sacrifices. "I do what I do for my family, so my sister doesn't have to suffer like I did. There are boundaries and I cross them all the time....but...not her, not my sister."

Suzie is a recent transfer and junior from the greater bay area who is a health science major. Refusing to be labeled, especially in terms of her sexual orientation, she self-describes as a "fighter who doesn't give up, ever. I got a lot of fight in me."

María Luisa is a senior who is, "loud, brown, round, and proud!" She is from the central valley and sees her mother as her primary caregiver, since her father spends long periods of time away because of work. As a major in sociology with a minor in women's studies, she sees herself as a student leader when it comes to issues that impact women of color at the college.

The mujeres' experiences provide a sense of what it means to be caught in the bordered space (Anzaldúa, 1987) of being in the culture of family or the culture of college. As I listened to the women in the four focus groups, I repeatedly heard phrases such as, "caught between two worlds," "confused about which behaviors to use," "struggling to switch," and "ni de aqui ni de alla [neither from here nor there]." I have come to understand and view that first-generation status is yet another layer to add to the complexity of being an educated woman of color.

Família

There are cultural values and traditions rooted in generations of Latino families sharing dichos (wisdom). Family lessons help shape us emotionally and give us moral guidance. The young women shared how their families' support provided them with the foundational knowledge of consejos y coscorrones.

Suzie: Well, I didn't really have my mom growing up, so it was just my dad, my brother and my dad's family. I had all kinds of tios, tias, primas.....But mostly I would have to say that my brother is the one who gave me the most support and encouragement...

Esmeralda: O pues, mi familía, my mom and my sister...and our church community. That's who I consider my family. Mi amá is the one who has taught me so much about who I am. Even though I've had to, like, be a grown up with her, I wouldn't change it for anything. That's just who we are...

Modeling new behaviors for family members, especially siblings is an expectation that all of the women in the focus groups shared. They discussed how they felt their families support them, but also expect them to teach their younger family members about pursuing a college education.

María Luisa: The added responsibility and extra pressure to take care of not just yourself and make sure you succeed but putting a good example for others, making sure that they succeed as well as make sure that my siblings are alright. It's like I have to show them that we're going to be okay and that I know they can do it, even when I doubt if I can do it, you know?

Earning their college degree is more than a self-serving act. It is one that provides a ripple effect of change among their siblings, cousins, and neighborhood peers. While they describe understanding their roles as modeling to others, the mujeres also describe the pressure that comes with this responsibility.

Suzie: "But damn, it's like having to break a code and stuff...like they [white students] have all the codes and people like me, students of color and especially us first-gen students, we need to break into it..."

Gaby: "I can just flash on people,...All I see is that someone just said or did something that is disrespectful, or whatever. It's a lot of work to not use the codes of the street, you feel me? So I literally have to tell myself to chill and take 'em down using the text..."

The majority of the young women described how being in a course designed for first year transition issues was extremely helpful. A partial credit course, it provides students an opportunity to receive academic advising and support in a group setting. Some of the young women were in sections either by major or by affinity groups, such as a section that is solely dedicated to first-generation students.

Gaby: "At first, I didn't want to be in this group...because I didn't wanna be singled out as a first-gen student....But now, I'm thankful that I had the chance to connect with other kids, like me, and work with a faculty advisor who talked openly about stuff that impacted us. Like, we talk about being first-gen, students of color, and even being low-income. I needed that, and um, well...I still do..."

María Luisa: "If I had questions, I could count on them getting answered in this class...sometimes not always by the faculty advisor...but, that didn't bother me, I just wanted to know what I needed to do, you know? Then when I became a Peer Mentor I could, like, give back and help freshman and transfer students."

These courses provided them with a space to learn and share from one another how to break the "codes" of the academy in a safe setting. They described how it felt like a community, especially for those students who were in the first-generation focused section.

Feminidad - From Bien Educada to Ser Educada

There are cultural expectations in a Latino family that young women are well behaved, well dressed, and of high moral values. Often, the behaviors associated with being bien educada (well educated) hold Latinas to more traditional gender roles of behavior and appearance (Rodrigúez Martin, 2010). Esmeralda's experience captures what a majority of the focus group participants revealed about their transition into college and the impact it had on their identities as young Latinas.

Esmeralda: "I grew up being told that I needed to be una hija buena [a good daughter] that dresses properly, is well groomed, and behaves with high morals. Mi amá would always tell me that she didn't want us to be all greñudas [uncombed] because then people would think bad things about us. ...My mom thought she was teaching me about being modest, but what I took from it was be quiet and invisible as much as possible...try to blend in..."

Esmeralda voices what many of the young women shared about receiving conflicting messages about their college endeavors. They shared how they were told to dress, behave, and speak properly to reflect positive family images. Yet, they were also told to do well in school, without realizing that often the behaviors of being bien educada are in direct contradiction with being a successful student, which often require breaking the "good behavior" rules to be heard in an academic setting.

María Luisa: "I feel hella comfortable being here right now... this right here, this is the real deal. Like, I feel like I can just break it down and each of you would understand me...seeing all these Latinas in one room, I feel comfortable...like to just put my voice out there..."

Esmeralda:  "Siento familia. I feel like even though I didn't know all of you before today, we are sisters, hermanas...getting our education on..."

I repeatedly heard the young women share how even though there were challenges with being a woman of color at the college, there were also so many blessings. They described how being in a room full of Latinas talking about issues that impact them as a group and individually was "empowering," "comforting," and "affirming." They allude to a safe space to be both the Latina from home and the Latina in college.

First year experience credit bearing courses/seminars can provide students with both the academic and personal transition support to persist in higher education. Curriculum should include strategies to address transition issues such as, communication with faculty, the rigors of higher education, and capitalizing on their cultural capital. Diversity and inclusion curriculum should not be relegated to one unit of instruction, but rather as the foundation of first year experience courses and programming. Integrating opportunities for students' to infuse their own voices into the curriculum, especially around issues of diversity can promote shared inquiry. Whether in a community college or a four-year institution, this course can provide the space to address the issues that often keep students from persisting. Namely, these courses can provide a communal atmosphere that would address the needs of students who have similar cultural values and norms to the women in this study.

References

Anzaldúa, G. (1987). Borderlands la frontera: The new mestiza (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Aunt Lute Books.

Rodrigúez Martin, I. (2010). Insights into the complexities of identity in persisting latina college students. Unpublished dissertation, University of Massachusetts - Amherst.

Terenzini, P. T., Rendón, L. I., Upcraft, M. L., Millar, S. B., Allison, K. W., Gregg, P. L., et al. (1994). The transition to college: Diverse students, diverse stories. Research in Higher Education, 35(1), 57.

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