In this paper, I explore how pláticas allowed for my former high school students and I to conceptualize love. This work is a response to overwhelming statistics regarding child trauma and literature that named loving relationships as a pivotal but under-conceptualized intervention. Specifically, we participated in three different iterations of…

For Manitos, or Hispanic New Mexicans, sheep symbolized a way of life. Working with sheep not only provided a way to earn a living, but it also contributed to a fiber arts tradition that has been cultivated and sustained over many generations. Sheep became a symbol of Nuevomexicano culture and an example of affirmation and resistance in the face…

In 2021-22, two-thirds of all Latino undergraduate students in higher education (62%) were enrolled in 571 institutions in the U.S. known as Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). HSIs represent 19% of all institutions of higher education. The majority of HSIs (59%) are 4-year institutions, and a smaller subset offer graduate programs. The list of…

The field of geographic information systems (GIS) has been exclusively associated with positivist epistemological perspectives and quantitative research methods. In a deliberate effort to move away from false notions of objectivity and neutrality, this article proposes the Chicana/Latina feminist GIS methodology of Platicando y Mapeando. By…

This article documents the process I, as a teacher educator at UCLA's History Geography Project, went through to develop my lesson for centering Salvi history, "Reclaiming Our Stories Con Pláticas y Fotos: Pláticas as Pedagogy In K-12 History Classrooms." Inspired by the scholarship of feminist women of color who have shaped and informed…

This essay describes the curriculum and implementation of the Hispanic Leadership Academy (HLA), designed to guide and mentor first generation, Hispanic students into becoming leaders in their community. The curriculum empowered students and encouraged them to take their developing leadership skills to the university. The authors believed that…

The increasing scholarship on queer Latinx/a/o people in higher education research demands scholars to propound epistemologies and methodologies throughout the inquiry process that centers such communities. Methodologies, such as "feminista pláticas" disrupt epistemological boundaries to traditional ways of knowing and thus offer an…

The authors explored the influence of family background and students' perceived socioeconomic status with minoritized students' acculturation and transition experiences during their first-year, first-time enrollment at a predominantly White institution in the southeastern United States. Narrative interviews and "a priori" codes from the…

Freedom dreaming offers a new paradigm that centers the experiences and realities of Latinx students on college and university campuses and re-imagines residence halls as liberatory spaces. Referencing the legacy of racism and the experiences that Latinx students have with microaggressions and other forms of oppression, this article highlights how…

There has been a surge in the number of Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs), which are degree-granting, nonprofit, postsecondary institutions that enroll at least 25% Hispanic/Latinx/e undergraduate students. Although HSI scholarship has increased dramatically since around 2010, there is still a gap in knowledge about individuals who fall within…

In 2020-21, there are 559 HSIs located in 29 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. For the first time in 20 years, the number of HSIs has decreased from 569 in 2019-20 to 559 in 2020-21. This decrease is due, in part, to enrollment declines, institutional closings, and consolidation during the pandemic. While the number of HSIs has…

This autoethnographic paper discusses the complex methodological issues of a Latina scholar activist conducting research about the undocumented in a law enforcement context in the presence of power elites. She navigates her purpose and perceived identities in withholding some identities for the purpose of accessing data. She chronicles her…

This article describes how one Latinx sibling pair, Sebastian and Sophia, negotiates dominant forms of family-school relations that permeate their experiences within a bilingual elementary program. I report on focal interactions that I, as an aspiring Latina school administrator, had with Sophia and Sebastian in fall semester 2021. In this…

Mariachi programs entered the public schools in the Southwest in the late 1960s and early 1970s when the Chicano movement ushered in an awakening of pride in Mexican heritage. The purpose of this historical biography was to examine the life and career of mariachi educator Ezekiel (Zeke) Castro (b. 1939). Zeke Castro taught mariachi and orchestra…

To truly fulfill their missions and make positive strides toward the conservation of our ocean, aquariums need to reach diverse audiences and reflect their local communities. Reaching audiences not adequately represented at our facilities takes work and time. It requires building relationships and trust. We need to understand which audiences are…