"It Was All a Dream": Reflections on the College Pathways of First- and Second-Generation Latino Male College-Goers

• In Event: Empowering and Supporting Young Men of Color Through the Pre-K–20 Pipeline

Abstract

Background: Nationally, less than one in two Latino males graduate from US high schools (Schott Foundation for Public Education, 2015). This is a troubling statistic as this means fewer Latino males have the opportunity to matriculate into selective four-year colleges and universities (Sáenz & Ponjuan, 2009). Research on the college experiences of high achieving Latino males is well established (Perez, 2017; Perez & Saenz, 2017; Perez & Taylor, 2016), but little is known about how these students navigated the educational pipeline to reach premiere institutions. Thus, the aim of this paper is to focus on the in-depth narratives of 24 first and second generation Latino male college students and their reflections on “who” served as inspirations and motivations for them to pursue higher education.

Theoretical framework:
Using Yosso (2005) model of community cultural wealth that focuses on the assets possessed by students of color. Within her model, she posits that students of color possess six various forms of capitals, aspirational, linguistic, familial, social capital, navigational, resistant, and when combined can counter the systems of power and uplift marginalized groups to advance and thrive in schools. We use two elements of her model, aspirational and navigation capitals, to understand how and who inspired Latino males to pathways into selective higher education institutions. Aspirational capital is “the ability to hold onto hope in the face of structured inequality and often without the means to make such dreams a reality” (Yosso, 2005, pg. 77). Navigational capital is necessary for students to have the required “skills of maneuvering through social institutions” that may not naturally support the goals or aspirations for these student groups (pg. 80).


Methods and Analysis:
Each participant was interviewed between 45–90 minutes. In this interview, students were asked to tell share their life histories, starting with their first memories, experiences in secondary education, and individuals who provided either technical support or motivations to pursue higher education. In total, 24 Latino males attending four colleges and universities shared their stories and 17 are considered first generation and 7 are second generation college goers.

Preliminary Analysis: For first-generation college students, they mention the important role of a high school counselors or teacher serving as a catalyst to inspire them to pursue higher education. These individuals provided not only the technical support, but constant motivation and socioemotional support to persist in moments of fear or insecurity. For the second-generation students, they understand from a young age that college was a necessary step for not only professional success, but also a part of the natural progression in life.

Significance: The college access stories of Latino men is a necessary area of research to understand who and how pathways are being built and traveled into selective colleges and universities. Often, we focus on the factors that derail educational opportunities for Latino boys and young men in middle and secondary school without focusing on what happens to the small percentage of Latino male who “make it.”

Authors

• Adrian H. Huerta, University of Southern California

• Edgar Fidel Lopez, University of Southern California