Preparing Latinx College Students for Leadership in California

• In Event: Revisiting and Reimagining Identity Development in College Across Diverse Contexts

Abstract

With a majority Latinx population in California and the state’s economy depending on college educated leaders, it is important to develop a deeper understanding of how Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) can better prepare Latinx students for leadership in the workforce. This study draws on the theoretical understandings of self-authorship theory to examine the experiences of four first-generation college students in an undergraduate leadership course, and how their beliefs about leadership and behavior in the workforce changed as a result. The findings suggest that the leadership course created a learning environment that prompted cognitive dissonance, propelled students into The Crossroads (Magolda, 2009) phase of self-authorship, and fostered intrapersonal, interpersonal and epistemological growth for the participants.

Authors

• Ronald S Glickman, California State University - Los Angeles

• James Villela, California State University - Los Angeles