From the Words of Latino Males in Higher Education: Drawing Support from Latino-based Organizations

• In Event: 566 - Section on Latino/a Sociology Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 09. Latina/os and Education

Abstract

Over the last 20 years the number of Latina/os that have obtained a bachelor's degree has increased. However, Latinos lag behind their Latina counterparts. The rate of Bachelor's degree attainment for Latino males is 12.9% in comparison to 14.9% for Latina females (Saenz & Ponjuan, 2011). There is a dearth of literature that investigates the life trajectories and academic lives of successful Latino male undergraduates. This study examines graduating senior Latino undergraduates at a four-year institution and how they are navigating post-secondary education. Drawing on 11 interviews with current Latino college-students, preliminary findings suggest that Latino male undergraduates find both social and academic support in culturally relevant Latino based school organizations and academic preparatory programs. In particular, this study finds that Latino based fraternities play a key role in facilitating a sense of belonging and support network for Latino male undergraduates. Interestingly, Latino based fraternities seem to also provide academic support. Implications of this qualitative research study seek to promote to take a closer look on Latino based fraternities and its impact on Latino male undergraduates' college experiences.

Author

• Yoselinda Mendoza, Unviersity of California-Irvine