The author provided a brief exploration into the origins of racial/ethnic categories and facilitated a linkage between a colonial past and the present. She encouraged educational researchers and practitioners to adopt an understanding of Latinidad beyond a pan-ethnic model of identity by making critical colonial connections. She underscored how…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of Latina/o teachers in New York City. Using critical race theory and LatCrit theory as the theoretical framework, 15 participants engaged in semi-structured interviews, focusing on how their racial identities shape their educational and professional paths. Thematic…

The lack of representation of Latina community college presidents in California is an equity and social justice issue because the majority of students enrolled in community colleges are female and Latina but White men continue to dominate the office of the president. This issue is timely given the number of baby boomers who will be retiring in the…

Latina/o undergraduate students face many challenges, including campus climate and ethnic discrimination, which are tied to mental health problems and lower academic achievement. While always difficult, many students have reported a growth in awareness and determination afterward. Thriving or being "better off" after an adversity focuses…

Ximena was sure she would be appointed as the Director of Student Life at Aspirante University, a Hispanic-Serving Institution. As interim director, Ximena strove to enact servingness in her everyday practice. Her efforts to create a culturally responsive, relevant, and affirming campus environment for Latinx students were unparalleled. However,…

The field of modern counseling is conceptualized through a lens of social justice advocacy with professionals tasked with actively engaging in advocacy efforts. However, counselor education has been slower to make systemic changes needed to decolonize and dismantle the field to prepare future counselors with the skills needed to adequately address…

Between 2008 and 2018, southern states saw the fastest growth of Latinxs of any other U.S. region (Flores et al., "U.S. Hispanic population reached new high in 2018, but growth has slowed," 2019), transforming states in this region into what many researchers call "the Nuevo South." Drawing on literature that explores factors…

This qualitative phenomenological study explores the experiences of eight undergraduate Latinas in a Predominantly White Institution in the Appalachian region using Gloria Anzaldua's insights on Borderlands and Mestiza consciousness. A vast majority of the studies focused on the Latinx college student population that takes place in states and…

Equity between racial/ethnic groups has become an important factor in education, and scholar-practitioners have focused on closing the equity gap in both student academics and discipline. Research has shown the inequity in student discipline dating back to the 1950s when schools began to integrate and Black students were allowed to attend the same…

The Latinx population has significantly transformed the demography of the United States and its institutions of higher education. Yet, despite the increase of Latinx students obtaining their bachelor's degrees (U.S. Census 2021) and having one of the highest college enrollment rates, Latinxs have the lowest college attainment (Ayala and Chalupa…

This dissertation explored the career aspirations of Black and Latinx undergraduates in underrepresented health fields, crucial due to health disparities and social determinants. Using data from the 2015-2019 Higher Education Research Institute, the research analyzed factors impacting students' pursuit of healthcare careers through logistic…

In this study, we identify tensions that arise between blackness and Latinidad as AfroLatinx students negotiate identity and belonging on campus. Furthermore, we explore the unique cultural and historical contexts of Latinidad and their connection to what we term "anti-AfroLatinidad" -- beliefs, practices, and behaviors that communicate…

"Castañeda v. Pickard" established a precedent for evaluating bilingual programs in relation to the "soundness" of the educational theory on which they are based. However, this notion of theoretical soundness was grounded in an underlying logic that ultimately framed emergent multilingual students as a "protected"…

Common methods of measuring discipline disproportionality can produce contradictory results and obscure base-rate information. In this paper, we show how using multilevel modeling to analyze discipline disparities resolves ambiguities inherent in traditional measures of disparities: relative rate ratios and risk differences. One previous study…

Higher education scholarship has underscored how contextual influences within and outside institutional settings influence students' developmental journeys. A subset of research has examined how Latinx/a/o students broach questions of identity while in college and how families inform their development. Yet, little scholarship has investigated how…