Supporting First Generation Latinx Freshmen: The Importance of University Resources, Faculty, and Peers

ABSTRACT

The rise of Latinx college enrollment has resulted in a corresponding increase in colleges identifying as Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI). Yet, Latinx students’ degree attainment continues to lag, with a noteworthy drop in attendance after the first year of college. Freshman year is a pivotal time as students adjust to a new environment and must learn how to successfully navigate college. During this developmental transition, campus support is key in helping students successfully transition and persist in college. This qualitative study examined first generation Latinx students at an HSI to assess students’ navigation of college, explore their knowledge and utilization of campus services, and examine their engagement with peers and faculty. Although many students acknowledged the presence of campus resources, there remained a disconnect in how to become integrated within the campus community. Universities can better support first generation Latinx students by reflecting on how institutional practices can be more visible to students, and promoting opportunities for relational exchanges between students, their peers, and professors to increase students’ sense of belonging and retention over time.

KEYWORDS:

• First generation student
• Hispanic-Serving Institutions
• Latinx students
• sense of belonging

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the GEAR UP 4 LA program [4400005612, 2017].