There is a steady decline in Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) graduation rates, especially from two-year institutions. These institutions have been an integral part of U.S. higher education system, and access for underrepresented groups has been a top priority in recent decades with the passing of specific legislation. Despite growing efforts to…

This research explores the experiences of Latina mothers residing in San Antonio, Texas, using testimonios as a form of data collection; asynchronous interviews were completed to obtain the participants' experiences as they journeyed through their respective doctoral programs. Through this qualitative study, the research provided an in-depth…

Women and people of color continue to be underrepresented in mathematics. Thus, mathematics graduate teaching assistants' (GTAs') classroom experiences are often dominated by individuals who are white and/or male. This sends a problematic message about who can access and engage with mathematics. To better understand their educational experiences,…

The superintendent is one of the most important positions within public school districts because they have the capacity to influence policies, practices, and perceptions among school staff while simultaneously holding sway over the public. Yet, few Latinx administrators are hired into the superintendency -- even fewer are Latinas. Consequently,…

Over the last several decades, "zero-tolerance" policies have been implemented by federal, state, and local educational systems, which have altered the culture of learning. A consequence of this "tough on education" culture is what some scholars have called the "school-to-prison-pipeline" which disproportionately…

Objective: The beginning of college marks a decline in physical activity and racial/ethnic minorities have disproportionately lower rates of physical activity. This study examined the association between perceived stress and physical activity among an ethnically diverse sample of college-attending young adults. Participants: 2,396 students (36%…

Early research on the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated differential impact on the Latinx community. There has been limited research exploring the mental health outcomes of the pandemic on Latinx youth. This study explores the severity of pandemic-related stress on Latinx youth considering their resilience factors and previous adverse childhood…

Program evaluation for interventions aimed at enhancing diversity can fall short when the evaluation unintentionally reifies the exclusion of multiple marginalized student experiences. The present study presents a Quantitative Critical Race Theory (QuantCrit) approach to program evaluation to understand outcomes for Women of Color undergraduates…

This dissertation explored the career aspirations of Black and Latinx undergraduates in underrepresented health fields, crucial due to health disparities and social determinants. Using data from the 2015-2019 Higher Education Research Institute, the research analyzed factors impacting students' pursuit of healthcare careers through logistic…

Writing attitude, strategy use, and confidence surveys help educators understand how students perceive writing and cope with writing challenges in schools. The dimensions (i.e., constructs reflected by survey items) of these surveys have been studied in general students in the U.S., and we investigated how these surveys would reflect the…

In one of the most diverse states in the nation, it is not surprising that public college students in California are incredibly diverse--71% of the student body is racially/ethnically diverse, with nearly half (45%) of students identifying as Latinx and only about one in four (23%) identifying as white. Unfortunately, that diverse representation…

Reading is a basic skill that is needed for academic success and employment opportunity. Aliteracy, or the lack of a reading habit, and lower motivation to read, are problems at the university level, especially among ethnically diverse adults. Reading self-efficacy is associated with reading comprehension, word reading, foreign language learning…

Firearm suicides among adolescents have increased in the US and rates vary across racial and ethnic groups. In this study, we examined contextual information around adolescent firearm suicides and analyzed how incident characteristics vary across racial and ethnic groups. We analyzed firearm suicides among adolescents (ages 10-18 years) from 2004…

This report is an overview of the postsecondary experiences of multiracial Latinx deafblind, deafdisabled, and deaf adults in the United States that draws from data from the American Community Survey (ACS).

Objective: We assessed the impact of bearing multiple marginalized identities, experiencing discrimination and perceived social status on the prevalence of depression in college students using an intersectional approach. Participants: Public health students at a diverse urban public university in Northern California (N = 338, response rate = 85%;…