A Great Story to be Continued...

Developing Chris's voice has been an informative experience.  I empathize with his struggles and I have hope for his future.  I believe that Chris will face some pretty hard times that cause him to seriously consider leaving college, but I believe he will finish and go on to help strengthen the Latino community.  That is one thing that the Latino community has in their favor, family and community. Coming into this project I had worked with Latino students before, but didn't comprehend the challenges that they face or the reasons why they faced them.  This project has given me the opportunity to connect the dots between past and present experiences, Chris's voice, and content covered in both Theory and Foundations.  I can't wait to look back on my entries in the future and see how I have grown since completing this project.  I believe that this project is a starting point and helps build understanding and awareness.  After completing this project I believe that I have a responsibility to continue to inform myself of other voices and make connections between theory and practice.  I am excited to apply what I have learned in this project.  The door is open for me to return to Adams State this summer and assist with Summer Latino Leadership Summit.  I have not decided if that is the best option for the summer based on time constraints and other obligations, but as I worked on this project my head was spinning with ideas that could help elevate the program. If I returned I know that I would approach the program differently including the conversations that I have with students, student leader retreat facilitation practices, correspondence with potential students and parents, and organizing student presentation workshops.  As I see it no story ended today, it just began.

Getting Involved & Getting Connected: Student Learning and Development Outside the Classroom

Working in campus activities and aspiring to work in that functional area following graduate school, I understand and appreciate the value of student learning and development outside of the classroom.  One of the biggest issues I struggle with is seeing students who would benefit from being involved and have so much to offer, and not utilizing their talents/potential.

  It has already been established that Chris learns by experience and through building relationships.  Although it is difficult for Chris to take time to get involved it will increase his chances of being a successful student.  Applying what he is learning outside the classroom and joining organizations such as Latino Student Union or getting involved with leadership opportunities through campus activities, residence life, or the multicultural affairs office could all be valuable opportunities for Chris.  Even keeping an eye out for programs hosted by various organizations could provide Chris with additional connections.  Chris has the potential to lead his peers one day and provide them the assistance he struggled to find. 

Baxter Magolda's Model of Epistemological Reflection

Chris is a very intelligent student.  He is a hard worker and strives to achieve his highest potential.  While he excels in the areas of math and science he struggles with English, and he grew up in a Spanish speaking household.  Currently, Chris is in a developmental English course.  He feels bad about the circumstances, but understands that is an area he needs to improve.  He did well the first half of the semester when the writing assignments were based on personal experiences, but is struggling now that his assignments are starting to incorporate research.  He is also struggling to keep up with that class, because of his outside work and family obligations. 

Looking at Baxter Magolda's Model of Epistemological Reflection  Chris is in the transitional knowing stage (Evans et al., 2010).  He learns best from his peers and building relationships with others.  Experiential learning is a primary way in which he learns and that is why he did well in the beginning of the semester when he wrote papers about personal experiences.  Chris is also struggling because a good amount of the class time is given to them to work in the library independently on upcoming work, and in the beginning of the semester there was more group work and discussion.  Chris benefits from sharing ideas.

The other stages in Baxter Magolda's Model of Epistemological Reflection are Absolute knowing (before transitional knowing), independent knowing, and contextual knowing (both stages following transitional knowing) (Evans et al., 2010).

Someone who is in the absolute knowing stage believes that authority figures have all the answers and look to them asking many questions.  At this point Chris accepts that authority figures do not have all the answers.  Someone in the independent knowing stage values their own ideas and the ideas of others.  They want context provided when receiving knowledge, and someone in the contextual knowing stage requires that evidence be provided and are alright with uncertainty (Evans et al., 2010).  Chris has not made it to either one of these stages yet.

Evans, N., Forney, D., Guido, F., Patton, L., & Renn, K. (2010). Student development in

college: Theory, research, and practice (2nd. Ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Publishers.

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Financial Struggles

One of Chris's biggest struggles is being able to support himself financially.  Chris has an on campus job, but in order to balance being able to go home on the weekends and attend all of his classes he works in the union late at night.  He helps to clean up the union and close it down.  He doesn't get out of work until 3am, and has been working almost every night picking up others' shifts in order to save up money.  Chris still doesn't understand the financial aid process and can't currently identify anyone who can support him through this process or who he feels comfortable enough to approach.  Chris has made some friends and from time to time they causally talk about financial aid.  Chris is under the impression that his friends receive more financial aid than he does, but doesn't know why and believes it would be rude to bring it up with them.

Latinos Said to Lag in Getting Student Aid

According to Karen Fischer (2005), "The report, 'How Latino Students Pay for College,' which is the first to break out participation rates of Latino students in financial-aid programs, says that Latino students received an average financial-aid award of $6,250 in 2003-4, compared with an average award of $6,890 for all students. Asian students received the largest awards, an average of $7,260, according to the report, which was published by Excelencia in Education and the Institute for Higher Education Policy" (para 2).
While the amount of aid Latino students receive may be smaller they are more likely to apply for financial aid, and 63% of Latino students do receive financial assistance (Fischer, 2005).  Still, in the end the article pin points the idea that Latino students need to become more educated about the financial aid process, and suggest that colleges review data in order to better serve and meet the needs of Latino students (Fischer, 2005).

Turning Tables

Women are turning the tables in higher education, and it is predicted that in the near future the number of men enrolled in college will be significantly less than women.

If the number of men pursuing college degrees is on the decline what does that mean for Latino men who already face a handful of challenges?

According to the College Board in 2008 51.9% of Hispanic males that graduated from high school were either unemployed, incarcerated, or deceased. 

That statistic is alarming.  I think that Chris would be saddened by this statistic, but not surprised.  I think that it would make him want to work harder and earn his degree.  It is also important for Chris to set an example for his younger brother, Alejandro.  From a student affairs perspective, I think it is important to seek out and support students like Chris.  If Chris can find his bearings he will be able to work with peers and prospective students while encouraging them to explore the option of attending college.  As an invested member of his community Chris can go back and inform others of his experiences and how to navigate college.  Along with that idea, the Puente Project is a program that assists minority students reach their dreams of attending college, and after completing their degrees sends them back to their community to serve as leaders and mentors to others. 
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Retention, Retention, Retention

According to Megan Rooney's article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, "Latino-Americans' interest in pursuing education after high school does not translate into success in achieving college degrees" (para 8). 

The following is a list of issues that negatively impact retention.  The highlighted points are challenges specific to Chris.

community college attendance resulting in no degree completion
for profit school attendance resulting in massive loans and nontransferable credits
enlisting in the military
Financial strains including low-income household and supporting family
Taking care of family members
Academic struggles and coming into college unprepared
Unclear understanding of what college entails
Lack of mentor
Unable to form connections
Lack of campus involvement
Going to school part time
Non-traditional aged student
Too many other commitments
Language barriers

Latino's are the leading minority group when it comes to college aspirations and attendance, but fall behind significantly when it comes to graduation completion.  

"You Can't Be What You Can't See"

Missrepresentation has probably become one of my favorite eye opening documentaries.  Watching it in 6020 marked the 5th time I had seen the documentary.  The first time I watched the film was actually during Interview Days at BG.  It was a bonding moment for PJ and I.  Each time I have viewed the film I find something new to take away from it.  This time I took something else away which was really an unexpected take away.  Every time I have watched the film a quote by Marie Wilson, Founder and President Emeritus of The White House Project has always stuck with me.  She says, " You can't be what you can't see" in regards to women in leadership roles and positively empowered women in media.  How does this message apply to a male Latino? Well, my thought process led to adapting the quote into a different context.  What role models does Chris have in his life?  It has already been established that he is a first-generation college student and is not surrounded by people who have experienced college or have knowledge of the system.  Who can Chris look to for an example of leadership?  Who can he look to as someone who fulfilled the goals he wishes to like graduating from college and working in the engineering field?  At the same time these questions are occupying my mind, the other graduate assistant working with University Activities Organization is preparing a presentation on diversity for our UAO leadership team.  The presentation includes the demographics of Bowling Green State University students, faculty, and staff.  According to the presentation 27 out of 797 faculty members identify as Hispanic American and  12 out of the 576 staff members at identify as Hispanic American at BGSU.

Granted, at a predominately white institution the number of minority and/or Latino faculty may be proportionate to the number of minority and/or Latino students, but that still leaves me wondering are there enough role models for Latino students among faculty and staff?  My hope is that Chris is able to find a mentor and utilize resources, but how can someone who is unable to get involved due to academic and family commitments supposed to navigate finding a mentor?  At this point, Chris would be unfamiliar with resources and would become decreasingly disconnected and probably increasingly unsure if he will make it through college.  Which also leads me to ask if predominately white institutions are seeking to build diversity and use race as a factor in the admissions process, or what are they doing to support their students while they are there?  It's not enough to have programs or systems in place if students are unable to utilize them or find them.  How are Latino students, faculty, and staff supported as a whole and encouraged to reach out and connect to one another.

This video demonstrates the need for Latino students to have mentors early on.