More Than One Path: How Mexican Immigrant Youth Navigate Cultural Worlds While Building Pathways to College and Careers

• In Event: Bridging Multiple Worlds of Immigrant and Indigenous Students’ Pathways to Academic and Life Success

Abstract

Interdisciplinary analyses of the academic pipeline problem focus on capital, alienation, and challenge. Sociological studies of social capital report children of college-educated parents as the most likely to develop college-based careers (Bourdieu & Passeron, 1986). Anthropologists describe low-income, ethnic minority, and immigrant parents’ aspirations for children having a better life, but poverty and racism often dim parents’ hopes while youth defend against failure by disengaging from school (Vigil, 2004). New studies reveal that challenges of poverty and racism, when support is available, can motivate youth to succeed on behalf of their families and communities.

One challenge model, Bridging Multiple Worlds Theory, maps how youth build pathways to college and careers by navigating resources and challenges across their cultural worlds (Cooper, 2011). This model maps the interplay of five dimensions: demographics of culturally diverse youth and families navigating through school, their aspirations for college and career identities; academic pathways through school, challenges and resources across cultural worlds, and partnerships that boost resources youth draw from their worlds. This study examines how these dimensions illuminate pathways of Mexican immigrant youth through school, and implications for research, practice, and policy.

Methods

The longitudinal study was conducted in a 15-year university-community research partnership with a pre-college program. The program serves over 500 youth in California with scholarships and support for students from low-income, mostly Mexican-descent families from 6th grade to college. The partnership collected surveys, school transcripts, and program observations, beginning with students’ program entry at age 12. This mixed-methods paper considers responses of 52 program alumni at age 25 and case studies of 34 students.

Results and Implications

Demographics. Parents' formal education, usually in rural Mexico, was typically less than high school and for many, elementary level. Parents worked picking strawberries, mushrooms, or lettuce, on cannery or factory assembly lines, or cleaning houses and hotels.

Aspirations. On application essays, most students expressed aspirations for college and college-based careers. By age 25, almost all had some post-secondary education and most, college-based work.

Academic pathways diverged early: 6th graders with higher math grades more often passed 9th grade Algebra. Doing so predicted entering universities directly from high school, but students completing Algebra in later grades also graduated from universities at the time of follow-up. Ultimately, these two groups succeeded at the same rate; 35% held baccalaureates by the time of the study.

Challenges/resources. This study illuminated more than one pathway to college, including those interrupted by military service, early parenthood, work, or incarceration. Despite modest formal education, parents provided important resources from childhood into college. Parents were students’ greatest resources in middle school, peers and teachers rose as resources in high school, and parents again were the greatest resources as youth navigated from community college to universities. The program was most useful in 8th and 12th grades---important transitions through school.

Partnerships. Cycles of research, practice, and policy strengthened the program. Youth interpreted findings and suggested implications, and alumni reported inspiring others to attend college and participating as tutors, mentors, and even funders.

Authors

• Catherine R. Cooper, University of California - Santa Cruz

• Elizabeth Domínguez, Cabrillo College

• Robert G. Cooper, San José State University

• Angelica Lopez, University of California - Santa Cruz

• Alejandra Beristain-Barajas, University of California - Santa Cruz