Institutional Protective Factors: Promoting Equitable Access to Law School for Latino Students

• In Event: 54.041 - Understanding Access and Student Success in Graduate Education

Abstract

This paper examines the role institutional protective factors in higher education have in cultivating academic resilience and legal career aspirations for Latino students. Methodologically, a two-phase, qualitative longitudinal study was used to examine the experiences of nine urban, low-income, first college generation Latino students who navigated the P-20 pipeline into Tier-1 law schools. Findings highlight institutional protective factors, which include service opportunities, experiential learning opportunities, and pre-law outreach programs in higher education institutions that provided participants the understanding and mentorship they needed to demystify the application process. Findings also shed light into the experiences of the experiences of Latino students in law school and how these protective factors continued to nurture academic resilience as they transition to their legal career.

Author

• Daisy Denise Alfaro, California State University - Los Angeles