Unpacking the Institutional Barriers of Being a Community College Student to an Administrator

• In Event: First-Generation Women of Color Professionals: An Examination of the Intersectional Experiences in Higher Education

Abstract

As a first generation student, Chicana Mother of Color and non-traditional student, this autoethnography is a representation of my journey from community college student to administrator in public higher education. It includes the challenges, trials and tribulations of being admitted into a program of predominantly White females, and how my trajectory into education transformed the ethnic and construct of the program.

Given my experience in higher education, as well as an administrator, I draw on my own experiences to connect my autoethnography to the epistemological research on first generation Latinx students using a community culture wealth framework.

Data for this presentation originates from my autoethnography where I chronicalize my experience of navigating the higher education system and the systemic challenges encountered in the process. Autoethnography is an approach that seeks to describe and systematically analyze personal experience in order to understand cultural experience (Ellis, Adams & Bochner, 2011).

As a first generation Chicana Mother of Color and student in higher education, I provide evidence through an autoethnography on challenges that can potentially impede student progress in higher education. I argue that given appropriate support structures, it can bolster persistence and completion. I will share my journey of going from community college to administrator and the impact of the intersections of being a first generation, Chicana in higher education.

Although first generation Latinx, students are less likely to complete a bachelor’s degree, given the appropriate support and guidance, they can be successful. Changes to the structure of higher education are warranted to meet their needs. With lengthy remedial coursework requirements, low course transfer credits from community college to universities, cost disparities between community college and universities, and lack of mapping within the community colleges and between the universities, students are bound to stop out. Re-evaluating the organizational structures to support student connectedness in the college will inspire a sense of belonging between peers and faculty that can encourage retention/completion.

First generation Latinx students make up the majority of students in higher education. According to Engle and Tinto (2008) there is a disproportionate amount of low-income, first generation students from ethnic and racial minority backgrounds with lower levels of academic preparation in the community college system. Malcom-Piqueux & Bensimon (2017) maintain that “racial/ethnic and class-based disparities in college access, enrollment, and completion persist despite years of programmatic and policy efforts to counteract them.” Bryan, Farmer-Hinton, Rawls and Woods (2017) point out that while gaps remain in race/ethnicity in college, no notable gaps exist in aspirations to attend college. According to Yosso’s (2005) community cultural wealth model, she asserts that students of color have aspirational capital. She describes it as a form of resilience in the face of adversity; maintaining hopes and dreams for a better future. Hence, Given the appropriate support structures and alternative options for degree attainment, first generation Latinx students can be successful.

Author

• Carmen Marie Dones, West Los Angeles College