The Journey of Latina STEM Undergraduate Students in the Borderlands in Times of COVID-19

ABSTRACT

The Latino population in the U.S. is a community with high family values, pride in their culture and language, as well as great respect to their ancestors. The intervention of our predecessors in STEM-related topics goes back to the Aztec and Mayans, who developed a sophisticated numerical system and contributed to the advancement of society. This study focuses on the dual intersection between the COVID-19 pandemic that has exacerbated access among the Latino population and the struggles and challenges Latinas face in persisting in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, a nationwide and recognized issue. With a qualitative approach, seven Latinas students were interviewed and shared their experiences as STEM college students amid the pandemic. The study’s location is a Borderland community with a large representation of Latino and Indigenous populations severely impacted by COVID-19. Borderland University (pseudonym) is a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) enrolling over half Latino students; nonetheless, the participants represent a minority student population in the pursuit of STEM degrees. The findings revealed participants’ difficulties and challenges due to the online academic environment and their financial issues as well as personal struggles concerning their own well-being and that of their families.

KEYWORDS:

• Latinas
• higher education
• STEM
• COVID-19
• pandemic
• Hispanic-serving institution

Disclosure statement

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