Definiendo Éxito: Achieving Success Through Education

• In Event: Education as a Source of Erasure and Resilience in the Lives of Latina Women

Abstract

For many Latino parents, personal success is achieved not through their own accomplishments, but rather, through their children’s educational success (Buttaro, 2004; Espinoza-Herold, 2007; Medina & Luna, 2000). The purpose of this narrative study is to explore, through an analysis of key life events, a Latina immigrant woman’s life and her perspectives on what makes a Latina woman successful. To explore the participant’s definition of success, the following questions guided the study: 1) What is a Latina immigrant woman’s definition of success and does she feel she has achieved success in her life? 2) What are turning points in her life that have led her to the woman she is today? 3) How does she describe herself and her life at this point?

Drawing on Latino Critical Race Theory (Fernández, 2002; Rolón-Dow, 2005), which examines how racism marginalizes Latinos, the researcher explores how the participant navigated a culturally and linguistically diverse world from the one she grew up in, and explores how her experiences of discrimination affected her achievements. The data for this study was collected by conducting three one-hour long interviews with the author’s mother over the span of three months. Data from the first interview was analyzed and major themes were explored in subsequent interviews. Using a holistic-content perspective (Lieblich, Tuval-Mashiach, & Zilber, 1998), the researcher identified 3 major themes within the narrative: 1) success through education, 2) success through language, and most prevalent, 3) success through her children.

This study found that even though race, culture, and language impacted in critical ways the participant’s life in the United States, it was those moments in which she helped her children become successful what empowered her to push through. A common theme found in literature about the success of Latina immigrant mothers (Buttaro, 2004; Espinoza-Herold, 2007; Raleigh & Kao, 2010) can be seen through the participant’s continuous reference to how her success is shaped by her children’s success. That is, many Latino parents feel fulfilled and accomplished through their children’s educational success, making all their sacrifices as immigrants worthy. These findings can be important for school administrators when creating educational programs for parental involvement that acknowledge the different roles parents play in their children’s education and the different ways they further their children’s learning.

Author

• Lizbeth Morales, Teachers College, Columbia University