GENTE ESTUDIADA: LATINA/O STUDENTS CONFRONTING AND ENGAGING HOME/COMMUNITY KNOWLEDGE WITHIN/OUTSIDE INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION BY NORMA ANGELICA MARRUN DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Policy Studies with a minor in Latina/Latino Studies in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2015 Urbana, Illinois Doctoral Committee: Professor Cris Mayo, Chair Professor Alejandro Lugo Professor Dolores Delgado Bernal, University of Utah Associate Professor Wanda Pillow Abstract As a group, Latinas/os are transforming the demographic profile of U.S. colleges and universities. More Latinas/os are pursuing postsecondary education with a total of 69% of Latina/o high school graduates enrolling in college compared to 67% of whites (Fry & Taylor, 2013). However, data shows that Latina/o students generally graduate at lower rates compared to whites, and controversies over undocumented young people entering higher education continue. Utilizing a Chicana/Latina feminist approach, this dissertation explores the K-16 lived experiences of Latina/o youth and the ways they grapple with the contradictory nature of education, and their desire to transcend cultural, social, political, and educational boundaries. By infusing a Chicana/Latina epistemological perspective, we can better understand the complex ways Latina/o students contest and navigate the contradictory spaces of home, community, and school. This dissertation critically examines the factors that enable first-generation Latina/o students—documented or undocumented—to persist in higher education and most importantly, to graduate and encourage other community members to also aspire to higher education. A Chicana/Latina feminist ethnographic design was used, and drew upon individual in- depth interviews with ten, first-generation Latina/o college students attending public, 4-year research and teaching universities in California and Illinois, participant observations at various sites (i.e., campus events), classroom observations of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies courses, and an analysis of educational and immigration policies. In addition to their educational experiences, my project builds upon the students’ home and community knowledge, connecting these pedagogies of the home to their college success. Rather than assuming all Latina/o students deal with the same issues, this study examines the influences, challenges, and contradictions of home (family), community, and university from multiple perspectives. ii As I explored Latina/o students’ narratives of ambivalent but energetic participation in higher education, I learned that there is an untold story about the ambiguity that stems from what Gloria Anzaldúa (1999) refers to as the “new mestiza consciousness,” a consciousness that “sustains contradictions” and “turns the ambivalence into something else” (p. 101). As participants reflected on the pain and growing contradictions between their families and schooling experiences, they sought out spaces like Latina/o and Mexican American Studies courses where through inquiry, reflection, and dialogue, students made sense of opposing ideas and knowledges. These courses helped students acquire the ability to confront and navigate the contradictory spaces of home and school, as well as the language to make sense of their personal and educational experiences. My work introduces the term gente estudiada, a term used in the Latina/o community to refer to people who are college educated. I used this term, not yet part of academic discourse, to underscore the necessity of grounding our understanding of Latina/o higher education in the community that uses this term. My work draws from the resources found in Latino communities, but like Anzaldua’s call for ambiguity, I also critically analyze the very communities that provide support for Latina/o college goers. Findings highlight the ways participants used their families’ stories, dichos (popular proverbs), and consejos (advice) to share the ways they overcame challenges at home and in school. For example dichos were used to teach their children important lessons about being proactive and how to confront and overcome difficult situations in one’s life. My dissertation also examines the ambiguities that constitute undocumented students’ experiences and the ways they navigate higher education sin papeles.1 Specifically, I highlight the story of one undocumented Latina student’s activism, most notably 1 Translation: without papers or without legal documentation. iii her participation in Atlanta, Georgia where she and six other students were arrested for protesting against the Georgia Board of Regents for banning undocumented students from enrolling at the top five public universities in the state. I conclude this dissertation with recommendations for academic and student affair practitioners working to support and improve the retention rates for first-generation Latina/o students, as well as immigration advocacy. My work provides useful strategies for improving Latina/o retention by recognizing the important links between home, community, and university experiences. iv Acknowledgments First and foremost, I would like to thank and acknowledge my advisor and dissertation chair, Dr. Cris Mayo for providing critical and inspirational feedback. Thank you Cris for always reminding me to eat my vegetables! I appreciate you giving me space to grieve over the losses in my family and for helping me pick up where I left off. I will forever be grateful to my committee members for your guidance, feedback, and words of encouragement. Dr. Dolores Delgado Bernal—thank you for introducing me to Chicana/Latina feminisms and for allowing me to be a part of the Adelante program. Dr. Wanda Pillow—thank you for introducing me to feminist methodologies and for showing me how to be a reflective researcher. Prof. Alejandro Lugo— thank you for introducing me to Latina/o ethnographers y por compartir tanta sabiduría. A special thanks goes out to Karo Engstrom—thank you for your patience, warmth, and for providing such crucial feedback on my writing. Secondly, I am deeply grateful for the Latina/o students who participated in this project. They have selfishly shared their stories of hardship, courage, perseverance, and their hopes to bring about change within their families and communities through their education. My sincere thanks goes out the Department of Latina Latino Studies at UIUC and the Mexican American Studies Department at SJSU for supporting this work—gracias Alicia Rodriguez, Laura Castañeda, Dr. Richard T. Rodríguez, Prof. Julia Curry-Rodriguez, Prof. Magdalena Barrera, Kathryn Blackmer Reyes, for your support and for providing a space to conduct my interviews. To the Department of Educational Policy Studies—many thanks to Dr. James Anderson and Dr. Larry Parker for seeing my potential. To the faculty and staff in the Department of Education, Culture, and Society at the University of Utah, thank you for paving the way to UIUC. I am also indebted to my co-workers at the Bureau of Educational Research—thank you Jane Schingel, Dr. v Stafford Hood, Jaya Shoffner, Betsy Greifenkamp, Selena Douglass, Carol Villanueva-Perez, Paige Spangler, Shawn Lampkins, David Requa, and Dr. Anne Robertson (thank you for helping with my IRB). I also want to acknowledge the Ronald E. McNair Program at SJSU—Jeannine Slater, I gained the confidence and preparation to pursue graduate school. A special thanks to my McNair mentor—Prof. Marcos Pizarro for instilling in me the importance of conducting research in the service of social justice. Thanks Angela Kong for encouraging me to apply! A very special thanks to my partner Constancio Realiza Arnaldo Jr. I’m so glad we found each other in graduate school. Writing our dissertations together was so much more comforting and gratifying—especially when we would celebrate the small victories by rewarding ourselves. Thank you with all my heart for helping me find the confidence and motivation to keep writing. A special shout out goes to the Realiza clan. Many thanks to all my friends for all your support throughout the years! To all my Blacow Parque amigas, Monica and Rosa, thanks for so many great memories and for staying in touch over the years—L.L.B.P. por vida! Monica, Robert and Tommy Ravelo and Rosa and Franky Martin thank you for taking the time to visit me in the Midwest. I would like to thank my colleagues at UIUC. I feel so blessed to have met such supportive and wonderful amigas/os. I extend great appreciation to my friends Gabriela Romero (many thanks for being there for me, especially in the beginning when I didn’t know anyone and didn’t have a place to stay) and Rufina Cortez (gracias por todo tu apoyo, por aconsejarme). To my friends Judith Estrada, Jerry Díaz, (thanks for entrusting me with Esperanza), Francisca Mata, Nick Maag, Teresa Ramos, Anthony Jerry, Genevieve Clutario, Melli Velazquez, Ariana Ruiz, Berenice Sanchez, Cecilia “CC” Suarez, Jamie Singson, Mariana Martinez, Steph Rieder, Kevin Lam, and Jennifer Chung. To my writing group—Rufina Cortez, April Warren-Grice, and Ivory M. Berry—it pays off to be f’ing critical! To my Utah friends—Judith Flores Carmona vi (gracias amiga por tu generosidad), Kevin Eyraud (I’m so glad you joined our group in Dr. Norma Gonzalez’s class), Tina and Kyle Endres, Silvia Garcia, Paul Fisk, Matt Bradley (rest in peace), Wazir Jefferson, Kim and Ruth Hackford-Peer, Jo Hinsdale, Belinda Saltiban, and Barbara Kessel. Many thanks to the ones who have kept in touch and provided their support and feedback from thousands of miles away—James Battle and Ellen Correa. I also want to thank Stan Thangaraj and his family for their support and for being such positive role models. And to my special furry friends—Smokey and Rosita thanks for comforting me and for showing me so much love. Gracias chuchin por la vida! A mi madre Esperanza por inculcarme desde pequeña el valor del estudio y por apoyarme. Nena gracias por ser mi mejor amiga, mi confidente, y sobretodo por ser la mejor hermana del mundo.