College of Last Chance: Latinx Students and the Community College System
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Growing up, the local community college, notoriously re-named “College of Last Chance,” was never any of my peer’s dream school, but by decision day, most high school seniors were enrolled. The Latinx community college experience is one that is highly stigmatized through existing literature and quantitative data on attendance and retention rates, and even through misconceptions about the institution that are unaware of its history and place in communities. Very often, community college is seen as the final opportunity for students to change their life trajectory a Last Chance. While this framing highlights the overall disparity that exists within the community college system, it does not fully encapsulate the complexities of the Latinx community college student experience. In my thesis, I argue that educational outcomes that are often framed as products of individual behaviors, such as working hard and following the rules, must be understood as institutionalized phenomena, such that our theory of change should focus on restructuring institutions rather than simply modifying individual behaviors. Through my methodology, I highlight the need to center this type of research on those that are most influenced and affected: Latinx students, both past and present. My research takes into account the lived experiences of 10 Latinx community college students that have attended, left, or transferred out of the College of Last Chance, and also considers their ideas to improve the system that most affects them. Through my analysis, I conclude that Latinx students must be understood in the context of their historical disposition, rather than individuals separate from outside influences. Furthermore, community colleges, like the College of Last Chance, are building a space for students to succeed through their social equity efforts, but cannot do it alone. The responsibility lies in the institutions extending from community colleges to four-year institutions, local cities or townships, and beyond.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Date created | May 31, 2018 |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Flores, Andrea |
|---|
Subjects
| Subject | Community college |
|---|---|
| Subject | Latinx |
| Subject | Latinos |
| Subject | Higher education |
| Subject | Disparities |
| Subject | Low-income |
| Subject | Disenfranchised |
| Subject | Meritocracy |
| Subject | Barriers |
| Subject | Family |
| Subject | Illinois |
| Subject | Free education |
| Subject | Focus groups |
| Subject | Embodied knowledge |
| Subject | System justification |
| Genre | Thesis |
Bibliographic information
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- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
Preferred citation
- Preferred Citation
- Flores, Andrea (2018). College of Last Chance: Latinx Students and the Community College System. Unpublished Honors Thesis. Stanford University, Stanford CA.
Collection
Undergraduate Honors Theses, Graduate School of Education
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- Contact
- andrea14@stanford.edu
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