Personal and Professional Motivations of Latino Men in Higher Education and Student Affairs Master’s Programs

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 7:45 am - Gold 3
  In Roundtable Session: Braiding Care and Cultural Wealth: Latinx Praxis, Mentorship, and Institutional Reckoning in Academia

Abstract

This narrative inquiry study examined the lived experiences of Latino men enrolled in higher education/student affairs administration master's graduate programs. The participants’ experiences were examined through the Socio-Ecological Outcomes Model (Harris & Wood, 2016). The findings describe how social identities, and intrinsic motivations inform the participants’ professional motivations to disrupt barriers for Latinx/a/o/e students, the participants’ professional goals to support student success for Latinx/a/o/e college students through advocacy and mentorship, and the disconnect the participants felt between their professional development needs and their HESA curriculum. Recommendations include the importance of understanding the professional motivations and goals of Latino HESA men students and the importance of professional development centered on the social identities-based motivations of aspiring Latino HESA men students.

Authors

• Lazaro Camacho, University of Rhode Island

• Hermen Díaz, Buffalo State University - SUNY

• Diana Cervantes, University of Texas at Austin