Embodying Servingness: The Value of Relationships for Latinx Transfer Students at Hispanic Serving Institutions

• In Event: Stories of Belonging and Persistence: Latine Students’ Connection at HSIs, Relationships and Counter-Narratives

Abstract

Objective
As institutions where at least 25% of full-time undergraduate students identify as Hispanic, Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) educate 64% of U.S. Latinx undergraduates serving as vital access points to higher education (Excelencia in Education, 2025). Servingness goes beyond enrolling Latinx students to authentically and proactively addressing their needs (Garcia et al., 2019). Despite increased attention to servingness, research remains limited on how non-academic experiences impact the academic experiences of Latinx students (Garcia, 2023). The purpose of our mixed-method study is to examine how Latinx transfer students experience servingness through relationships at a HSI.

Theoretical framework
We use the Multidimensional Conceptual Framework of Servingness, which expands servingness beyond academic outcomes, but also student experiences, organizational practices, and external policies (Garcia et al., 2019), and the Transfer Receptive Culture framework, which centers on creating transfer-ready campuses that consider the intersectional experiences of minoritized students (Jain et al., 2020). Both frameworks emphasize the importance of relationships for students (Solis & Duran, 2022; Authors, 2024). However, there is a need to further understand how these relationships embody and sustain institutional servingness (Covarrubias et al., 2023).

Methods & Data Sources
Through a partnership with an HSI division of student success, we conducted six focus groups with 3-5 transfer students (N= 26: 15 Latinx, 11 persons of color; 15 women, 10 men, 1 non-binary) to understand their experiences at the HSI and with university programs, including HSI initiatives (e.g., summer transition and research internship programs) and discuss their academic and social experiences. The research team conducted reflexive thematic analysis to identify focus group themes (Braun & Clark, 2021).We collected 397 transfer student online surveys (117 missing demographics; 168 Latinx, 186 persons of color, 63 multiracial, 94 White; 135 women, 102 men, 32 non-binary, 10 other/unknown) which asked about their experiences with resources, programs, relationships, and transfer pathways. We conducted preliminary descriptive and multiple regression analyses of the survey variables measuring relationships, students’ campus perceptions, and their sense of belonging.

Results
Our focus group themes included students sharing challenges to servingness, in particular with campus participation due to limited housing, commuting, and limited support from family due to new academic environments. Servingness was perceived as how the campus communicated transfer-specific resources shaping students’ ability to successfully navigate the university. Importantly, the focus groups revealed that servingness was embodied through authentic relationships and community-building initiatives with staff and faculty that validated students’ intersectional backgrounds and tailored support and programs for transfer pathways. Our preliminary survey findings triangulated the focus group results, showing strong faculty, student, and staff relationships as predictors of strong sense of belonging.

Scholarly Significance
Our paper underscores the critical role of interpersonal relationships in shaping servingness at HSIs. Institutions must actively leverage these relationships to create equitable and inclusive environments. Faculty, administrators, and staff are encouraged to adopt relationship-centered approaches that proactively address racialized institutional climates and foster a genuine sense of belonging. Effective servingness requires intentional and comprehensive institutional approaches to faculty training, curriculum design, and programming.

Authors

• Saskias Casanova, University of California - Santa Cruz

• Valeria Jacqueline Alonso Blanco, University of California - Santa Cruz

• Citlalli Hernandez, University of California - Santa Cruz

• Stefany Miranda Mendoza, University of California - Santa Cruz