“SÍ SE PUEDE”: IMPROVING LATINX ACCESS AND COLLEGE COMPLETION

Abstract

Demographics change in even the most homogenous areas. The challenge resides in proactively meeting the needs of those driving the change. Life is not a one size fits all and needs are different based on socioeconomics, education, health, generational wealth and myriad other factors, Across the South, the Latinx population has increased their overall share of the population exponentially, and their journey, no matter what it was or is, carries with it, a unique set of circumstances and challenges. In higher education, those challenges are significant and represent many barriers for students in terms of access and program completion. Students are often unwilling or feel uncomfortable sharing their struggles with college personnel that they are unsure whether they can trust, so instead of feeling like a burden or sharing with someone who does not support them, Latinx students may choose not to seek help or support. This study is an endeavor to determine the challenges that Latinx students encounter by discussing their experiences in their own words in one on one interviews. Additionally, because it is important to equip personnel with knowledge of how to support Latinx students and increase their sense of belonging, personnel were surveyed to determine their level of understanding. Using both student responses and personnel surveys, the students' level of feeling othered and in the "borderlands" is measured, as well as personnel's level of cultural competence on the Bennett Scale. The findings were converted to a brief report with suggestions to improve the experience of students and reduce barriers has been suggested as well as additional ways to measure the progress.