Navigating College: First Generation Latinas in Higher Education

The educational failure and success of Mexicanas through the K-16 educational pipeline is well documented through statistics, especially at the national level. But larger data sets obscure the everyday challenges that Mexicans face in their local circumstances. As a response, this study focuses on the factors that promote educational success and challenges for first generation Mexicanas college students at CSUMB. The results of a survey completed by 20 Liberal Studies students document that Mexicanas face a number of barriers, on and off campus, that shape “student success” and a “sense of belonging’—traditional indices of a university’s commitment and support of students. In addition, the survey data documents that Mexicanas also have a rich set of cultural and familial resources that are essential to the Mexicanas educational success. The data documents that students do not feel supported “on campus” and, thus, must rely on external sources of support