“Ever Evolving”: Filipino American Student Leadership Identity in Ethnic-Based Organizations

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 9:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Ethnic-Based Organizing and Leadership Development

Abstract

This study examines the leadership identity development of Filipino American student leaders involved in ethnic-based organizations at colleges across the United States. Grounded in the Leadership Identity Development model and utilizing counter-narratives, this study centers on the experiences of seven participants who graduated between 2017 and 2021. Through the use of narrative inquiry, participants reveal how their cultural identities are central to their definitions of leadership. The ethnic-based organizations served as sites of community and cultural affirmation. Through their involvement, participants lead with cultural values, such as bayanihan, allowing them to navigate leadership beyond formal roles. This research contributes to the literature on leadership identity, race, and ethnicity, highlighting the importance of culturally affirming spaces for leadership development of students.

Author

• Dominique Orfano Acosta, Claremont University - Pitzer College