A Critical Race Spatial Analysis of Rural Latinx College Access and Choice

• In Event: Latinx Students and College Access

Abstract

Geography has been found to exacerbate existing inequities in college access and choice for rural students, especially rural Students of Color. This paper focuses on the college opportunities available to rural Latinx students from California’s Central Valley to center the intersection of race, rurality, and geography in college access and choice research. This paper employed a Critical Race Spatial Analysis to analyze the college opportunities available to rural Latinx students from the Central Valley. This lens was used to analyze the qualitative interview data conducted with 5 rural Latinas and analyze the spatial maps created through the geospatial processing program of ArcMap. Findings showed that rural Latinx students face geographic isolation but are still motivated to pursue their college aspirations.

Author

• Mayra Puente, University of California - Santa Barbara