Date Approved

4-20-2022

Graduate Degree Type

Project

Degree Name

Education-Higher Education (M.Ed.)

Degree Program

College of Education

First Advisor

Dr. Karyn Rabourn

Academic Year

2021/2022

Abstract

Research indicates Latinx students are disproportionality attending community colleges, yet graduation and transfer rates for Latinx students attending this institution type are dismal. Literature indicates that Latinx students' sense of belonging in the higher education setting can be cultivated by feeling connected to peers and family, feeling connected to their culture, and minimizing the number of academic and cultural stress factors. Latinx students arrive on campus equipped with strengths and experiences that have given them the ability to persist and survive in the face of oppression and racial hostility. Community college orientations and programming can be designed to celebrate and empower Latinx students and the knowledge and experiences these students possess. Using a framework that values Latinx cultural capital, this project embraces Latinx values to develop an orientation and holistic programming to support Latinx students toward degree persistence and foster a sense of belonging. This program will encourage and develop feelings of connectedness through the Latinx cultural value of familismo and will heavily support the inclusion of family within the community college setting. The proposed project will consist of a Latinx-specific family orientation, a Latinx mentorship program, and familismo-grounded programming that will extend throughout the academic year. The program will contain resources that support Latinx students’ academic, cultural, and emotional well-being.

Share

COinS