From the Job Site to the Classroom: The Life Histories of First-Generation Latinx College Students

• In Event: Disrupting the Narrative: Diverse Perspectives on First-Generation College Student Transitions Across the P–20 Pipeline

Abstract

The impact of employment on academic achievement and college-going is readily evaluated within the literature, primarily through a quantitative lens. In such studies, youth employment is often found to impair high school grades, persistence, and the likelihood of attending college. This paper and the associated qualitative study responds to the dominant understanding of youth employment by illustrating the narratives of five low-income Latinx students who worked at high intensities (15+ hours weekly) during high school and aspired to be the first in their families to pursue college. Data were collected through three in-depth, semi-structured life history interviews with each participant. Guided by the epistemologies of critical race theory and critical youth studies and applying the lens of community cultural wealth (Yosso, 2005), this paper explores participants' individual and environmental resiliencies in navigating employment and academic pursuits. It further explores the meaning participants find in work.

Findings show that, for participants, employment came at an early age, driven by their families' socio-economic hardships and a personal desire to assist their parents. The analysis further reveals the varied practices participants use to navigate a wounded school system to manage work obligations. This navigation includes the skillful use of time management in worksite study practices, course scheduling, and the use of class time. Additionally, it calls upon students' insights in recognizing varying instructional requirements and negotiating study and course assignment priorities. Participants also heavily rely on the relationships within their lives, including parents, peers, educators, and employers, for motivation, support, and direction in their work and academic journeys. Youth employment, for participants, is meaningful as an educational resource and a vehicle for stress reduction.

Ultimately, the paper identifies the diverse forms of cultural capital through which first-generation Latinx students navigate educational and employment systems. The highlighted manifestations of social capital align with the community cultural wealth framework (Yosso, 2005) and affirm findings within the broader literature of Latinx college-going practices. The complex uses of cultural capital noted ultimately refute the notion that employment is unequivocally detrimental to academic achievement and college-going. Further, it introduces a depth of understanding to our conceptualization of working high school students with implications for research, policy, and practice on first-generation students.

Author

• Simone Carnegie-Diaz, Northeast Lakeview College