Carrying the Legacy: Family, Belonging, and the Reimagining of Higher Education for Hispanic Youth

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 2:15 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Identity, Belonging and Flourishing Along the Margins

Abstract

This qualitative study explores how second- and third-generation Hispanic students in the United States traverse the terrain of higher education, considering family migration stories, cultural values, and belonging or marginalization. Against the backdrop of persistent disparities in educational attainment, the study foregrounds the voices of Hispanics that are often marginalized in traditional discourse. Using a phenomenological approach and thematic analysis of in-depth interviews, the findings reveal that parental sacrifices, community expectations, and a deep sense of responsibility profoundly shape the motivations and trajectories of these students. Higher education is framed as both a personal goal and a collective aspiration in honoring familial legacies and dispelling dominant stereotypes.

Author

• Munube Yilmaz, Texas State University