This dissertation was an investigation of how students in two-way bilingual immersion (TWBI) programs construct their bilingual identities inside and outside the school setting, highlighting the unique and multifaceted nature of their language development and cultural identity formation. TWBI programs aim to cultivate bilingualism and biliteracy,…

Community colleges play a significant role in the higher education landscape. Open access missions and diverse student bodies are often used to indicate that community colleges are democratizing higher education. This study begins broad questions about what it means to do the work of democracy at a community college. De Anza College in Cupertino,…

In this article, we explore digital storytelling as a community-engaged pedagogy to create students' immigration stories in Maryland as part of the project "Intercultural Tales: Learning with Maryland's Immigrant Communities." Stories highlight students' lived experiences of immigration, language, and identity. By envisioning themselves…

The goal of this action research was to bring awareness of the first-generation community college identity and acknowledge that this identity has many layers. It is important community colleges across the state use the information provided in this action research to be well-informed on how to better support first-generation students. This…

This qualitative case study explored the experiences of staff and student participants in a men of color program at one California community college. The research aimed to understand how program staff creates environments conducive to exploring masculine identity among men of color. Grounded in validation theory and the multiple masculinities…

Multiple systems of institutional oppression have led to the incarceration (and re- incarceration) of Latino men. This study explores the disparities that formerly incarcerated Latino male students encounter while attempting to achieve positive educational outcomes in community college; and to advocate for policies, programs, services (within and…

Burnout has become a prevalent issue in workplace environments, significantly affecting individuals' mental, emotional, social, and physical well-being. This qualitative phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of burnout among community college counselors in Southern California, a group often overlooked in existing research. While…

For rural students, finding one's voice and identity on a college campus and developing a sense of belonging are important for engagement and degree persistence. Rural affinity groups can create a feeling of comfort or connection that affirms students' place identity and can lead to a more successful college experience. Additionally, an organized…

This dissertation investigates how feminist and LGBTQ undergraduate students involved in activism on UC Davis use language to construct their identities, focusing on two gender and sexuality-based resource centers (the women's center and LGBTQ center). It seeks to address two research questions. First, how do cisgender, trans, and nonbinary…

Objective/Research Question: Master narratives, as theorized using a critical race perspective, are stories of the majority that function to obscure and normalize the oppressive operation of power in society. Counternarratives are the stories of minoritized individuals which expose and challenge the stories of the majority. This study examined…

Objective: The study aimed to understand how Latinx immigrant-origin community college students draw upon their funds of identity to persist and transfer. Methods: Utilizing a multimethodological qualitative approach, self-portraits and testimonios were collected from 20 Latinx immigrant-origin California community college students in spring 2022.…

Educators are often unaware of assets Mexican Indigenous children possess that originate from their cultural practices. Using Critical Latinx Indigeneities and Indigenous Heritage Saberes, our studies focus on three unique Indigenous learning communities that provide opportunities of empowerment for these students. We examine the experiences of…

This phenomenological study explored the ways women served as validating agents for Latino men who had transferred from a community college to a four-year institution. Informed by Rendón's theory of validation, participants expressed numerous ways in which women figures (e.g., mothers, sisters, significant others) were sources of validation across…

Latinas are underrepresented in top level leadership positions in higher education, comprising a small fraction of the 5% of women of color who serve as college and university presidents. Recent data revealed that the number of Latinas in senior-level leadership positions decreased, signaling a concerning downward trend. While much research has…

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of students formally enrolled in a California community college promise program at Mountain View Community College, Lakeview Community College, Hillcrest Community College, and Ocean Valley Community College, each located in Southern California. The…