"You Can Be What You Can See": A Testimonio of a U.S. Central American Student Affairs Practitioner

• In Event: Exploring Future Research Agendas and Responsibilities in the Study of Central Americans in Higher Education

Abstract

In today’s political context, Central American immigrants have reemerged as subjects of political news and marginalization. They have been portrayed by U.S. government administration as ­­­­­ “animals,” “gang members” and even as people from “shithole countries” (Beckwith, 2018; Nakamura, 2019). While this rhetoric is inhumane, similarly, higher education remains a source of marginalization through lack of recognition and representation within the literature of U.S. Central Americans in higher education. The literature that does exist largely focuses on Central American youth facing barriers to college attainment and college students (Abrego, 2006; Coronado & Paredes, 2018; Figeroa, 2013; Hernandez, 2015; Linares & Maffini, 2018; Menjivar, 2008). A clear gap exists of the experiences of Central American student affairs practitioners at U.S. colleges and universities. Through this paper, I situate myself within the literature through testimonio grounded in theory of the flesh of a U.S. Central American student affairs practitioner.

Author

• Eileen M Galvez, Yale University