"I've Talked to a Couple of People": Understanding the Community Cultural Wealth of First- and Continuing-Generation Latinx STEM Students

• In Event: 43.078 - MTCC Roundtable Session 16
  In Roundtable Session: 43.078-10 - Latinxs and STEM

Abstract

Informed by data gathered from 16 first- and second-generation Latinx college students pursuing STEM degrees at four Northeastern universities, this study explores how first- and continuing-generation Latinx college students use community cultural wealth as they enter and navigate STEM pathways. Our findings suggest that first- and continuing-generation Latinx STEM students activate, nurture, and extend their CCW as they enter and navigate postsecondary education, however, the types of capital they foregrounded varied over time. For first-generation college students, familial capital remained central and foregrounded while it became less central to continuing-generation STEM students.

Authors

• Blanca E. Rincón, University of Nevada - Las Vegas

• Erica Fernández, University of Connecticut

• Mary Christine Duenas, University of Wisconsin - Madison