Latinos in Rural Areas: College and the
Experience of Self-Identification
Introduction
•The barriers Latina/os face when
transitioning to college have been well
documented. According to data from the
National Longitudinal Survey of Freshmen
1,000 Latino students who entered college
in 1999 reported the following:
•Many of these students chose Hispanicblack as their racial identity.
•They frequently had attended high schools
that were more than 70 percent minority
(Latino and African-American combined).
•However there is little research on
Latino/as who attend college after
attending a white, rural high schools where
they comprised only of a small percent of
the population.
Mariana Zaragoza
Angela Jaime Ph.D.
Department of Education
University of Wyoming
Methods
•Participants will be Latina/o students ages 18-25 from the University of
Wyoming.
•A narrative inquiry approach will utilize a semi structured, informal interview.
These will be recorded and transcribed.
• Coding will be based on common themes that will include but not limited to
disassociation from racial roots, self consciousness regarding cultural traditions,
and internalization of stereotypes.
• Interviews may help the researcher gain a clearer understanding of students’
experience in college environment where they can freely identify with their
cultural and ethnic background without feelings of self consciousness.
•A second focus will be on my experiences as a Latina growing up in a
predominantly white, rural area with little Latino/a cultural influence and my
transition to college where there was more influence from this culture.
Importance of Study
The importance of this study is to raise
awareness of challenges faced by students
when they transition from their rural, white
environment into a college community
with more Latino/a cultural influence.
•I will write a narrative to construct my own story and the development of my
self identification as a Latina due to the shift in cultural influences.
Acknowledgments
Statement of the Problem
This study will focus on the experiences of
Latino/as’ from rural areas in Wyoming
who are in college and their perception of
their self identification as a Latino/a.
Objective
The objective of this study is to raise
awareness of challenges faced by students
as they transition from a white, rural
environment into a college community
with more Latino/a cultural influence.
I would like to thank the following people:
•Angela Jaime Ph.D.
•Amanda LeClair
•Zackie and Susan
•McNair Scholars Program