Navigating Division: Hispanic Postsecondary Learners, Imposter Syndrome, and the Pursuit of Peaceful Education

• In Event: Roundtable Session 14
  In Refereed Roundtable Session: Navigating Inequality in Higher Education: Student Identity, Resilience, and Emerging Supports

Proposal

In today's increasingly polarized world, education holds both the potential to heal divisions and the risk of deepening them. This study re-examines educational practice and peace through the lived experiences of Hispanic postsecondary learners in the United States which is the nation's fastest-growing minority student population (Aguilar & Kim, 2019). Based on critical frameworks which include Community Cultural Wealth (Yosso, 2005) and Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development (Orenstein & Lewis, 2022), the study interrogates how imposter syndrome emerges among Hispanic learners, manifesting as profound feelings of alienation and inauthenticity (Breeze, 2018). This study situates imposter syndrome within larger contexts of social exclusion, fragmented cultural spaces, and institutional barriers, reflecting the challenges to peace and social cohesion facing education globally rather than viewing these struggles as solely psychological.

Utilizing qualitative synthesis of recent literature (Peteet et al., 2015; El-Ashry et al., 2024), the analysis illustrates that Hispanic undergraduate students encounter unique pressures due to first-generation status, language obstacles, financial strain, and systemic underrepresentation, all of which lead up to the experience of isolation in predominantly White institutions (Strayhorn, 2019). During the intersection of adolescence and young adulthood, Hispanic learners are navigating critical identity formation processes (Widick, Parker, & Knefelkamp, 1978) under conditions that often undermine their sense of belonging and self-efficacy. These developmental barriers mirror broader societal divides and challenge the notion that education inherently promotes peace.

The concept of navigational capital is foregrounded as a dynamic resource for resistance and transformation (Yosso, 2005; Delgado Bernal, 1997, 2001). The Hispanic students leverage community cultural wealth, which includes linguistic capital, social capital, and familial capital, to maneuver through institutional structures that were not designed with their experiences in mind. This way of navigation represents active peacebuilding: forging alliances, bridging divides, and creating inclusive spaces within education. The study further argues that nurturing a sense of belonging is essential to advancing justice and peace, not only for Hispanic students but for all who occupy marginalized or transitional identities (Strayhorn, 2019; Faulstich Orellana, 2003).

In re-examining education through a peace-centered lens, this study suggests us for intentional reforms: fostering relational engagement, valuing community-derived capital, and supporting identity development rather than passive accommodation of the current situation. The findings advocate for educational settings that do not simply tolerate diversity but embrace it as an engine for cohesion and conflict resolution. In doing so, Hispanic learners transform educational spaces from sites of division into platforms for societal healing and peaceful coexistence.

Ultimately, the pursuit of peace within education depends on recognizing, elevating, and empowering marginalized voices, recasting the quest for success not merely as individual achievement but as a collective initiative for global social justice (Yosso, 2005; Gándara, 1982).

Author

• Arnob Kumar Saha, University of North Texas