¡Yo Soy Xingona! Acts of Resistance and Power in the Lives of Undergraduate Latinas

• In Event: The Power and Possibility of the Co-Curriculum

Abstract

In this paper, the personal narratives of 15 undergraduate Latina students from Illinois and California provide insight into ways they leverage co-curricular involvement as meaningful learning that is representative of their lived experiences and personal development. Utilizing a Chicana Feminist Epistemology, I introduce the Xingona Mindset as a form of resistance and that builds off of Yosso’s (2005) Community Cultural Wealth Model. I argue that co-curricular involvement provides the opportunity for students to activate a Xingona Mindset amidst issues of privilege, oppression, and marginalization experienced in their undergraduate careers. A Xingona Mindset becomes a powerful tool for students who are disenfranchised from their education that encourages them to own their learning and development.

Author

• Vanessa Segundo, University of California - Davis