“The Least I Could Do is Get That Four-Year Degree That They Sacrificed so Much for” Undocumented Latina/o Families and the College Navigation Process

ABSTRACT

Undocumented students face significant barriers in accessing postsecondary education. Previous research has focused on how individuals and schools impacted their experiences of enrolling in college. This critical qualitative study of testimonios with 15 undocumented Latina/o students examines how their families shaped and supported their college navigation process. Using a funds of knowledge framework, we find that parents and siblings shaped undocumented students’ college choices through dichos, or culturally situated advice. Once students attended college, many expressed a desire to give back to their parents and inspire other family members to pursue college. Students also articulated the utility of their degree as an avenue to give back to their local communities. We discuss the need for institutions to honor the collectivist orientation of Latina/o/x students and their families through recruitment and engagement efforts with these students.

KEYWORDS:

• Undocumented Latina/o/x students
• college choice
• testimonios
• dichos

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank each of our participants for the time they shared with us and their vulnerability in sharing their testimonios. Mil Gracias! We would also like to thank Anna Korman, Julian Mendez, and Matt Denney for their involvement in coding data for the larger project.

Disclosure statement

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

Notes

1. We use the term Latin/o when referring to our full sample as each participant identified as Latina or Latino. When we refer to the broader literature, or the larger population of individuals who identify within the Latina/o/x community, we expand to include the “x” (i., Latina/o/x).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a NASPA Region IV-East Research and Assessment Grant.