Latina Muxerista Faculty Peer Mentoring at a Predominantly White University

• In Event: Roundtable Session 15
  In Roundtable Session: Mentorship and Mentoring Practices SIG Roundtable

Abstract

According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, “Hispanics” comprise only 4% of the full-time faculty in U.S. universities, while Latino/as comprise 16.4% of the U.S. population. Given the underrepresentation of Latina faculty, efforts to support and retain them are paramount. Recently, a small body of literature has surfaced regarding the practices of peer mentoring among Latinas at a Hispanic-serving institution. Through collaborative autoethnography, using a framework of muxerista mentoring and community cultural wealth, we add to this literature by discussing our experience of engaging in non-hierarchical Latina peer mentoring at a PWI. The main themes included: recognizing and claiming spaces for retaining and drawing upon cultural assets and purposefully sharing strategies for navigating power dynamics.

Authors

• Jeannette Alarcon, University of North Carolina - Greensboro

• Silvia C. Bettez, University of North Carolina - Greensboro