Exploring the Academic Experiences of Latino/X Males in Higher Education Through Mentoring

Abstract

Using a qualitative methodology with a critical qualitative inquiry methodological approach, this dissertation explored the academic experiences of 15 Latino/x males from South Central Los Angeles in higher education through mentoring. A Community of Cultural Wealth lens was used to understand how Latino/x males succeeded in their higher education trajectory even when they had to overcome racism and other systemic challenges in higher education. Through the findings and the framework, it is evident that mentoring is an asset that Latino/x males come to college with and as such should be a form of capital that can be added to Yosso’s (2005) Community of Cultural Wealth model. Overall, this dissertations provides a contribution to the overall Latino/x male research agenda, especially towards research that discusses how to better mentor these males of color in higher education.