Latine Migrant Children Navigating Post-Graduation Pathways

• In Event: AERA Research in Progress Roundtable Session Three
  In Invited Roundtable: Research-in-Progress RT034 (Friday)

Abstract

This study examines the lived experiences of eleventh-grade students at a majority-Latinx charter school in Southern California as they navigate summer internships, prepare for twelfth grade, and envision life beyond high school. Drawing on ten semi-structured interviews (five male and five female students), the research explores how socioeconomic status, parental education, immigrant generation, gender, and sibling dynamics shape aspirations. Findings reveal that Latino male students perceive a broader range of postsecondary options, including college and blue-collar employment, resulting in more varied goals. In contrast, Latina students often view college as their primary, and sometimes only, pathway to upward mobility. The study highlights how intersecting structural and cultural factors shape Latinx youths’ understandings of opportunity and possibility.

Author

• Julybeth Murillo, University of California - Irvine