A Collision of Two Worlds: First-Generation Latino Students & Higher Education
As I stepped onto the USC campus for the first time, I had an overwhelming amount of questions. Being a first generation Latino student, the university campus felt like an entirely new world. I could feel the butterflies in my stomach being overshadowed by a feeling of subordination. At the orientation events, I heard how other students came from wealthier backgrounds, and had a simple pathway towards a higher education. My pathway was not paved with guidance, rather it was cemented with cultural expectations and financial burdens. I was excited for college, yet I had a gnawing sense of intimidation that I could not explain.
To provide context, the cultural narratives of inferiority and criminality disseminated by public figures have negatively portrayed the Latino community. Since the U.S. War Against Mexico, the cultural representation of Latinos developed into a variety of narratives. The structural influences of both legislative institutions and cultural influences of society formed the identities of Latinos within the United States. Historically, there have been some positive perceptions of Latinos, but the negative portrayal of the community has dominated the media coverage over the years. One of the most prominent influences of Latino cultural narratives is Donald Trump’s rhetoric regarding Mexicans during his 2016 presidential campaign — his false assumption about Mexicans as criminals, rapists, and drug-traffickers. A recent, local example is L.A. city councilmember Nury Martinez’s racist remarks against indigenous Latinos. The damaging words of Nury Martinez and Donald Trump promote false cultural narratives of inferiority and criminality spread by public figures, which negatively portray the Latino community. With the increased danger of drug cartels in Latin America generating mass migration to the United States, the stereotype of Latinos as criminals has never been more prominent.
As a result, first-generation Latino students feel ashamed of their ethnic heritage and are intimidated to pursue a higher education. Over time, negative cultural narratives are established within society and become a broadened generalization of the entire Latino population. Once racial generalizations occur, there is an internalization of these stereotypes within the Latino youth, which intimidates them from college. Alvaro Huerta, a Cal Poly Pomona professor, describes his experience as a first-generation Latino student and the struggles he faced in his Huffpost article titled, “How I Learned to Be Proud of Having Mexican Immigrant Parents’’. Huerta recounts the shame he felt of his cultural background when pursuing his higher education: “While I will never forgive myself for not giving my parents credit for motivating me to pursue higher education, growing up in a society where brown people are scapegoats for America’s failures, it makes sense that I would feel embarrassed about my Mexican roots and working-class background” (Huerta). Throughout his article, Huerta highlights the feelings of intimidation that stem from the shame of Latino heritage. Like a majority of first-generation Latino students, he sought to assimilate to the popular opinion of American society. With the lack of representation, mentorship, academic advising, and/or financial support, the goal of pursuing a higher education is made difficult for many first-generation Latino students. The negative cultural narratives of the Latino community teach first-generation Latinos to see their cultural background as a disadvantage, creating an additional obstacle that hinders their potential. Huerta’s interpretation of his Mexican heritage as limiting led to the erasure of his personal cultural identity while pursuing a higher education. Especially observed in the bi-culturalistic world of first-generation Latinos, students feel the need to hide their heritage because they feel it is the only solution to excel in college.
To combat this impending feeling of intimidation, Huerta argues that first-generation students need to ignore the racist commentary surrounding the Latino community. The internalization of negative stereotypes within first-generation Latinos is a barrier that impacts their paths to a higher education. Within the demographic of young adults, a majority of them encounter a feeling of inferiority while pursuing their degrees. Therefore, Huerta suggests that young Latino students should not “allow a bully like Trump or other American leaders to make [them] feel inferior due to [their] ethnic heritage or ashamed of [their] social status” (Huerta). By ignoring the racist commentary of certain public figures, and downplaying their impact, Huerta insinuates that the inferior treatment of Latinos is ridiculous, and should simply be ignored. It is left up to first-generation Latino students to control the cultural narratives that represent their own communities. When one ignores the racist commentary, a change occurs that shifts the focus of inferiority to an empowerment of identity. By ignoring stereotypes and racist cultural narratives, Huerta is affirming that first-generation Latino students simply need to transform their mental narratives.
Although ignoring racist commentary will momentarily resolve intimidation, Huerta’s argument fails to take into account the long-term improvements needed to increase representation and access to resources. Students should not independently ignore racist commentary as it is counter-productive in encouraging first-generation Latino students in pursuing a higher education. When ignoring negative cultural stereotypes, there is no long-term structural change that motivates first-generation Latino students to excel in their higher education. Structural improvement for first-generation Latinos students can be achieved by increasing the representation of Latinos within institutions and resources to help guide younger students. There needs to be a transformation within the social and academic structures that demolishes the obstacles that intimidate Latino students in college environments. If achieved, first generation Latino students will feel safe and comfortable being unapologetically themselves, leading them to excel in their college careers.
The implementation of pipeline programs would encourage first-generation Latino students to pursue a higher education by providing specialized resources and mentorship. Pipeline programs are specifically designed for minority students who face financial and educational barriers while pursuing a higher education. First-generation students are equipped with academic support, internships, mentors, and opportunities in their interested field of study. In a Linkedin article by educator Angeltia Howard, titled “Breaking Down Barriers: How Pipeline Programs Can Unlock Educational Opportunities and Enhance Diversity” she describes the benefits of pipeline programs for underrepresented students. When describing the impact on society, Howard affirms that pipeline programs are “about building relationships and fostering a sense of community” and “provide a safe and supportive environment to foster growth and success” (Howard). By providing resources and mentorship, the implementation of pipeline programs would produce the long-term structural improvement that is needed to encourage first-generation Latino students in their path towards a higher education. The representation of individuals from similar backgrounds and a wide array of resources help eliminate the stigma surrounding intimidation, which is ingrained within first-generation Latinos. The path towards a higher education would become more attainable through the resources and scaffolding offered by pipeline programs. In contrast to ignoring the cultural narratives negatively affecting the Latino community, pipeline programs would combat these narratives by rewriting the barriers that have created the negative stereotypes of Latinos. The structural improvement of institutions would rewrite the negative cultural narratives and instead empower first-generation Latinos to pursue a higher education.
It is vital to think about how institutions are perpetuating stereotypes through ignorant metonymy. Public figures in American society have formulated an association between the Latino community and negative cultural narratives for decades. American politicians and public figures are spewing out negative stereotypes without acknowledging the potential consequences from their words.With negative cultural narratives and lack of structural improvement, the Latino youth become discouraged to attend college.
Now that I am in my second semester of my freshman year at USC, I have encountered the fear of intimidation but have not allowed it to control my narrative. Rather than fighting back passive-aggressive commentary, I look for solutions that will equip the next generation of Latino scholars to further excel. As Co-Director of Mentorship for the pre-law organization, Latino Students in Law, I help to re-shape the narratives that many first-generation scholars have heard before.
Negative cultural narratives are cemented within the mentality of young Latinos and grow up to believe that they are not capable of pursuing a higher education. Individuals within power need to be wary of their vocabulary and we need to use our voices to retaliate against their negative commentary. The ignorant metonymy as shown by Nury Martinez and Donald Trump are only a couple examples of racist commentary that infiltrates the development of young minds. Whether it is an academic or professional environment, we must use our voices to uplift the next generation of Latino scholars and motivate them to pursue their educational dreams.
