Using the methodological framework of "testimonio," this study was an exploration of the experiences of former higher education professionals who identify as women in the Latinx community. Grounded in Latino Critical Theory (LatCrit) and Critical Race Feminism (CRF), this research aims to highlight the narratives of Latina professionals…

Research suggests that teachers of color (ToC) have a positive impact on students' academic achievement, yet, ToC comprise less than 20% of the workforce. Policymakers who seek to increase the number of ToC, particularly Latino teachers, need to understand what keeps them in the profession. Four female Puerto Rican (PR) teachers engaged in a…

In order to better assist Latinas in STEM, it is imperative to understand the impact of cultural values in their educational persistence. This study uses a national dataset of Latina STEM college students to examine the relationship between positive and negative marianismo beliefs and how this impacts mental health and educational persistence.…

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to describe the personal experiences of Latina women who excelled in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) despite challenges amidst overlapping systems of discrimination. This study highlights the experiences of 10 Latina women who have attained or were in…

Following the tradition of Chicana/Latina feminist nuevas teorias and methodologies, I offer walking pláticas as a qualitative research methodology that honors the brown body and facultad to examine our relationship to the spaces we traverse, live within and mutually shape. Walking pláticas is a reclamation of research methodologies that dismantle…

In the United States, Latinas are underrepresented in obtaining PhDs that lead to high level professional careers and academia. This may be due, in part, to patriarchal academic institutions and approaches that have historically devalued the cultural experiences and identities of marginalized populations, including Latinas in higher education.…

This study was conducted at a small public university located in New Mexico, in the southwest area of the United States. The purpose of the study was to understand persistence to degree attainment of undergraduate nontraditional Hispanic women (NTHW) students at an institution which is Hispanic-serving (HSI). Challenges for NTHW students on the…

For Latina school administrators, the movement through the principal pipeline is not easy, as many encounter discrimination and biases rooted in their gender, ethnicity and other intersecting identities. Schools should leverage Latina administrators' cultural knowledge, perspectives, and experience to improve student educational outcomes. A Latina…

The problem addressed by this study was that many Latina principals are faced with racial and ethnic discrimination, are condemned by their cultural community for not balancing cultural and professional expectations, are disproportionately placed in urban campuses with predominantly minority students, and lack mentors. The purpose of this…

Research underscores the 'gender reversal' in college enrolment and educational attainment that appears to favour women today. However, less is known about how Latinas navigate doctoral study demands and gendered cultural expectations within their ethnicity. We use Chicana/Latina Feminist Theory to explore how the ethnic cultural script of…

How Latinas experience their racial identity is unique when viewed through the Black and white racial dichotomy that exists in the United States. In Latin America, race is understood to be phenotypical and determined based off the color of your skin, whereas in the United States, race is often understood to be genotypical (Darity et. al, 2005),…

This paper is about leveraging cultural ways of knowing such as ethnobotany in order to increase STEM engagement in Chicanx populations. The novel Community Learning and Ecological Sustainability Paradigm (CLESP) framework utilized in this study combines social justice, Chicana feminist epistemology, land-based pedagogy, critical place-based…

The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry was to explore the lived experiences of Latina educational administrators. This study sought to uncover and understand the relationship between biculturalism and effective educational leadership in the personal and professional lives of second-generation Latina educational administrators. For this…

"Latinas Pathways to STEM: Exploring Contextual Mitigating Factors" presents transnational case studies of Latinas and Mexicanas pursuing a STEM degree/career from the United States (Georgia, New York, Texas) and México. The authors underscore that the experiences of the participants highlighted in this book provide insights into how to…

The purpose of this study is to examine first-generation (FG) Latinas lived experiences and how they successfully navigate their roles as higher education professional staff. FG Latina professional staff were interviewed to understand how their identities as Latinas impact them in their higher education careers. Chicana Feminism (Delgado Bernal,…