Rural Latinx Youth Choosing the Community College Pathway

• In Event: Construyendo Caminos: Expanding Access and Pathways for Latinx/a/o/e Students

Abstract

This article challenges deficit narratives around community college enrollment by examining how first-generation rural Latinx high school seniors from manual labor backgrounds exercise agency in their college choice. While research has often framed community colleges as “less than,” this pathway remains a viable and intentional choice for historically marginalized students navigating systemic barriers. Drawing on a college-conocimineto framework and a yearlong ethnographic research study, this article asks: How do the decisions of rural Latinx students to enroll in community college reflect equity-minded responses to systemic barriers in higher education? Findings demonstrate that students intentionally rejected four-year paths and funneling into the nearby, local community college, and received affirmations from parents, counselors, and peers to enroll in a community college.

Authors

• Mayra Puente, University of California - Santa Barbara

• Lupita Romo-González, University of California - Santa Barbara

• Marlene Lopez Torres, University of California - Santa Barbara

• Melissa Romero, University of California - Santa Barbara