Schoolhood Epistemologies: Linking Schoolhood to the Personal and Academic Trajectories of Chicana College Students

• In Event: Thursday Roundtable Session 10:50 am
  In Roundtable Session: Latinx/a/o in Higher Education: A Critical Examination of Experiences, Policies, and Practices (Table 10)

Abstract

Chicana students have been significantly undervalued throughout their formal education. In this paper, I conceptualize Schoolhood Epistemologies by interrogating the intersections between internal (culture, family, environment) and external experiences (i.e., systemic and social barriers to knowledge) to better understand the patterns in the academic trajectories of Chicana girls. I introduce my findings which include interview and survey data on Chicana undergraduates' educational experiences, intersectionality, and their retrospective reflections on the simultaneous survival and cultural preservation tactics enacted throughout their education. I use Schoolhood Epistemologies to construct asset-based discussions with Chicana students that focus on reimagining school into a culturally-responsive education that can be all-encompassing of both systemic failures and growth, success, and community.

Author

• Lillian A. Cervantes, University of Texas at Austin