SILENCED VOICES: UNDERSTANDING

COLLEGE PERSISTENCE FACTORS FOR

UNDOCUMENTED MEXICAN IMMIGRANT
WOMEN FROM THE NEW LATINO
DIASPORA

Susana M. Muñoz, Ph.D.

Post Doctoral Research Associate
Educational Leadership & Policy Studies
December 10, 2009
 National Dilemma
 Approximately 37 million foreign-born immigrants are living in
the United States.


 11.1 million are undocumented and 56% of those

undocumented individuals arrived from Mexico (Passel,
2006)


 Children account for 1.8 million or 15% of undocumented

immigrants ; many of which have resided in the United
States for the majority of their lives (Gonzales, 2007 &
Passel, 2006).


 Future trends suggest that the occupations most in demand

will require an Associate’s degree or above.


 Investing in the educational attainment of Latino immigrants

and their children is important for economic and social
purposes (Gonzales, 2007).
 Literature Review
Latinas in Higher Education
 Latinos/as stress more than non-Latinos/as about issues related to finance,
academic imperfections, and family obligations. (Longerbeam, Sedlacek,
& Alatorre, 2004).


 Latina college students have the additional challenge of breaking away from
traditional roles for women (Gandara, 1995; Gonzalez, Jovel, & Stoner,
2004) .


 Latinas succeed in college by valuing their education, having a sense of
responsibility to obtain their degree because of parental sacrifices,
(Zalaquett, 2005).


 Latina college students also experience institutional marginalization
(Rodriguez, Guido-DiBrito, Torres, & Talbot, 2000), microaggressions
(Solorzano, Ceja, & Yosso, 2000), and cultural incongurency (Gloria &
Castellanos, 2003).
 Overview of Study
 Purpose:
 Understanding issues of college persistence for undocumented
Mexican college women from a New Latino Diaspora site: “Elksville”,
Wyoming. I used a case study approach.


Research Questions:


1. How do culture, family, prior schooling, and immigration experiences

influence college persistence among Mexicana immigrant students?
2. What factors are associated with the college persistence for Mexicana
students?


 Participants
 Four Mexican-born females who have attended the University of
Wyoming. I used a snowball sampling method to identity participants.
 Participants at a Glance
Pseudonym Age Class year Major Age arrived Parents’ State of Number of
in the United occupation origin siblings
States
Ana Mari 20 Soph. Business 12 Father: San Simon, 1 brother: age 18
Restaurant Tlaxcala,
cook Mexico
Mother:
Restaurant
worker & house
cleaning for
private houses

Elena 20 Soph. Undeclared 7 Father: Irapuato, 2 brothers: ages

Construction Guanajuato, 19, 15
Mother: Mexico 1 sister:
Housekeeping age 17
for a hotel

Sofi 21 Junior Business 15 Father: Hueyotlipan, 1 brother: age 17

Construction Tlaxcala, 1 sister:
Mother: Mexico age 8
Housekeeping
for a hotel

Valería 23 College grad Political 15 Mother: Hueyotlipan, 2 sisters:

science/ Housecleaning Tlaxcala, ages 19, 18
Pre-law for private Mexico
houses
Theoretical Perspective
Borderland theory (Anzaldua, 1998)
Chicana epistemology (Delgado-Bernal,
1998)
Trenzas de identidades multiples [Braids
of multiple identities] (F.E. Gonzalez,
1999).
Yosso’s (2006) stages of Chicana/o
college persistence:

Contributions to Scholarship &
Policy
 Employed a cultural
(Chicano/a studies)
perspective within
persistence study


 No study that I am aware of

has explored college
persistence issues for
undocumented Mexican
immigrant women from a
cultural standpoint


 Findings impact the DREAM

(Development, Relief, and
Education for Alien
Minors)Act and future
Factors for College
Persistence
 Support and Challenges from their Home
System
 Vayas bien en la escuela para que no seas como
nostros, tabajando [Do well in school so you don’t
become like us, working].”
 “I don’t want you to have to depend on a man.”
 “I don’t want them to worry about things that I can
solve.”


 Unraveling the Notions of Dual

Socialization (Cultural Hybridity)
 “It’s difficult because in American culture if you try to
be too Mexican then it’s hard to get along with
people. And when you are with Mexican people and
you’re being too American you get criticized…….”
 “…..just because I was girl and they grew up having the
girls do everything….”

Factors for College
Persistence
Microaggressions Against
Newcomers
 “everyone looks at me in a weird way.”
“Many times they ask me if I’m an
international student and I tell them,
“No,”……….. “

Learning and Unlearning from
the Language Acquisition
Process
“ESL experience was a waste of time.”
Teachers “think they are helping students, but
in reality they are contributing to a student’s
 Factors for College
Persistence
 Dilemmas, Stressors, and Motivation Associated with
Undocumented Status
 “You get sad because your parents are going to keep paying
school for you instead of saving them some money.”
 “When it gets really stressful sometimes I just cry because I don't
know what to do and it's kind of like a release.”
 “Sometimes I feel ashamed too when I talk about my
immigration status...”

 Creating Successful Academic Spaces and Social
Networks in College
 “I thought that I could do it on my own so I tried to do it by
myself but that didn’t work in the end.”
 “…we sometimes have that mentality that we are different. And
here in Elksville the fact that we are different is not necessarily
positive, but in college it’s the opposite because there is an
interest for having people who are different who have
something else to contribute.”

Conceptual model for college persistence
factors for undocumented Mexican
immigrant women
 Research Questions
 How do cultural, family, prior schooling,
immigration, college experiences influence college
persistence among undocumented Mexicana
students?
 Strength gained from culture and family to persist
 Unlearned the negative perceptions they had as learners
during their prior schooling
 Immigration experiences gave them a sense of purpose

 What factors are associated with the college
persistence of undocumented Mexicana students?
 Microaggressions were evident in prior schooling, on
campus, and in community
 Campus involvement was prompt by the encouragement
of key staff people and initially comes with stress and
anxiety

Recommendations
 Provide more financial aid opportunities
 School Community University
partnership
 Immigration policies vs. access to post
secondary education
 Providing states more information about
the benefits of in state tuition polices
 Passing the DREAM Act
 Pathway to citizenship for college
graduates needs to be addressed.
 Implications
 K-12 administrators should take note of the negative ESL experiences and
how those carryover into college.


 The stressors associated with immigration status, along with family

obligations, illustrate how these college students are constantly
navigating multiple worlds.


 The voices in this study help to better inform admissions and financial aid
policies.


 Community entities are important to accessing college resources and

seeking funding from local community donors.


 These findings highlight the internal resiliency, determination, and

motivation of students who are uncertain about their future prospects
yet seek out higher education opportunities to better themselves, their
families, and their communities.
Future Research
 Examining the college experiences of undocumented
Mexican men.


 Investigating the community college experiences for

undocumented students.


 Similar studies can be conducted in other New Latino

Diaspora sites such as Idaho, Washington, and Montana.


 Looking at the experiences of undocumented Asian students


 Examining the college experiences of undocumented
immigrants enrolled in graduate or professional schools.

 Economic cost-benefit analysis of educating undocumented
immigrants students
 References
Delgado-Bernal, D. (1998). Using a Chicana feminist epistemology in educational research. Harvard Educational


Review, 68 (4). Retrieved January 31, 2006, from

http://www.edreview.org/harvard98/1998/wi98/w98berna.htm


Gonzalez, F. E. (1999). Formations of “Mexicana”ness: Trenzas de identidades multiples [Growing up Mexicana:


Braids of multiple identities]. In L. Parker, D. Deyhle, & S. Villenas (Eds.), Race is . . .race isn’t: Critical race
theory and qualitative studies in education (pp. 156-172). Boulder, CO: Perseus.


Gonzales, R. G. (2007). Wasted talent and broken dreams: The lost potential of undocumented students.


Immigration Policy in Focus. 5(13), 1-11. Retrieved May 25, 2008, from
http://immigration.server263.com/images/File/infocus/Wasted%20 Talent%20and%20Broken%20Dreams.pdf


Jensen, L. (2006). New immigrant settlements in rural America: Problems, prospects, and polices. Reports on


Rural America, 1(3), 1-34. Retrieved April 10, 2008, from

http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/publications/Report_Immigration.pdf


Passel, J. S. (2006). The size and characteristics of the unauthorized migrant population in the U.S. Washington


DC: Pew Hispanic Center. Retrieved May 25, 2008, from http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/61.pdf
 THANK YOU!

 Contact Information:
 Susana M. Muñoz , Ph.D.
 susanam@iastate.edu
 515-294-9090

Questions & Comments

This research was funded by the ASHE / Lumina Foundatio