Latinas REACH: A Counter-Space to Support Latina Graduate Student Success

• In Event: From Early College to Graduate School: Highlighting Multiple Experiences of Latina Students in Hispanic-Serving Institutions

Abstract

Purpose
Latinas REACH (Realizing Educational Attainment as a Community of Hermanas) is a collaborative initiative within university student affairs that provides a discussion group for Latina graduate students to receive support, share knowledge, and build community. The ultimate and overarching goal of this group is to enhance Latina graduate student success by building and enhancing forms of social capital. This theoretical paper will examine the lack of existing research on historically marginalized graduate student success factors and provide an overview of a program designed to meet the needs of underserved minoritized Latina graduate students at a Tier 1 research, Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

Theoretical Framework
Our theoretical framework is grounded in social capital theory. Social capital can be defined as the value of social networks (Dekker & Uslaner, 2001). According to social capital theory, such networks of relationships provide a valuable resource for navigating and managing an unfamiliar environment (Attinasi, 1989). Creating networks of social support is essential in order for Latina graduate students to thrive and succeed. Social support has been shown to facilitate coping, enhance an individual’s ability to deal with adversity, and provide mental and physical health benefits (Pearson, 1986). Beyond providing social support, we propose that this discussion group provides a culturally-informed context for Latinas to build community to explore the challenges of pursuing an advanced degree. Through dialogue around the Latina experience in higher education, we [graduate students] create a safe space where we can bring our struggles and our successes to one another in a setting of affinity and understanding. We also elevate the voice of “a silenced discourse that is often concealed for fear of appearing weak, confrontational, self-pitying, or unscholarly, or for fear of numerous other labels that restrain Latina academics” (Reyes & Ríos, 2005, p.378).

Currently, there is a lack of research on methodologies and approaches for creating these discussion spaces for Latina graduate students. Some is understood about how African American women in academia created sister circles as an empowered response to the marginalization and discrimination they persistently faced in education (Hinton, Grim, & Howard-Hamilton, 2011). The lack of attention paid to the Latina graduate student experience has led to a lack of understanding in how Latina graduate students navigate institutional systems that contain fewer percentages of Latine and other people of color in positions of influence and power. If we are to effectively support historically marginalized students, then we must understand what contributes to their success.

Discussion
Through providing a supportive space for personal narratives and counterstories where Latina experiences are centered, institutions can better understand what enables Latinas to succeed through the pursuit of an advanced degree. Future research will focus on how participant’s experience the ways REACH adds to perceived social capital, and whether this increase in community cultural wealth (Yosso, 2005) is a contributing factor to degree persistence and completion. In turn, the authors hope that REACH may serve as a model for other institutions to implement similar social support programs for students.

Authors

• Laura Zavala-Membreno, University of Houston

• Anneliese Bustillo, University of Houston