Somos Más Que Estudiantes: Chicana/Latina Undergraduates and M(other)work Responsibilities While in College

• In Event: Latinx Schooling Experiences

Abstract

Drawing from Chicana M(other)work and virtual pláticas, this research explores the experiences of undergraduate Chicana/Latinas from immigrant families to understand how they negotiate their family contexts, roles, and responsibilities with their academic identities and expectations during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research captures the experiences of 15 self-identified Chicana/Latina undergraduate students who are daughters of immigrants or immigrants themselves and are obtaining their degrees at an emerging Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in California. This study found that undergraduate mujer labor in their families involves 1) carrying their mama’s worries, hopes, and aspirations, 2) acting as sister mothers to their siblings, 3) accessing institutional and opportunity structures, and 4) leading the transformation and healing of culture and family.

Authors

• Brianna R Ramirez, University of California - San Diego

• Mariana Carrola, University of California - Davis