“You Didn’t Go By Choice!” Exposing Latinx STEM Push-Out at a Hispanic-Serving Research Institution

• In Event: Cultivating Diversity: From HBCUs to HSIs and Beyond

Abstract

As the Latinx student population grows in the United States, more public research-intensive institutions are becoming Hispanic-Serving Research Institutions (HSRIs). This qualitative study examines how HSRIs “serve” Latinx students, particularly in STEM fields where they are underrepresented and pushed out. Through an investigation at a public HSRI in California, three key themes contributing to STEM push out emerged: (1) disconnect in theory-based STEM courses; (2) unsupportive and busy research-focused environments; and (3) psychological impact of stripped-STEM identity. The authors offer recommendations for targeted interventions to genuinely “serve” Latinx students in STEM fields at HSRIs.

Authors

• Veronica Lavenant Fematt, University of California - Santa Barbara

• Rebeca Mireles-Rios, University of California - Santa Barbara

• Mayra Puente, University of California - Santa Barbara

• Katherine Arias Garcia, University of California - Irvine