Using the methodological framework of "testimonio," this study was an exploration of the experiences of former higher education professionals who identify as women in the Latinx community. Grounded in Latino Critical Theory (LatCrit) and Critical Race Feminism (CRF), this research aims to highlight the narratives of Latina professionals…

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to describe the personal experiences of Latina women who excelled in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) despite challenges amidst overlapping systems of discrimination. This study highlights the experiences of 10 Latina women who have attained or were in…

First-generation college students (FGCS) comprise of over half of the U.S. higher education student population, yet have considerably lower academic attainment rates compared to non-FGCS. Research has explored challenges that may attribute to these academic disparities, however, there remains a critical gap in identifying FGCS assets that may…

For Latina school administrators, the movement through the principal pipeline is not easy, as many encounter discrimination and biases rooted in their gender, ethnicity and other intersecting identities. Schools should leverage Latina administrators' cultural knowledge, perspectives, and experience to improve student educational outcomes. A Latina…

Although the Latino population is exponentially increasing, the number of Latinas obtaining higher education degrees continues to be alarmingly low. It appears to be more difficult for Latinas, and more specifically, for Mexican American women, to pursue a higher education. For those who manage to beat the odds and become higher education…

As a result of constantly grappling with systemic forces of oppression such as racism, ableism, and disablism Latinx students with dis/abilities may experience anxiety, loneliness, and frustration in higher education contexts. Social support has been shown to improve the health, well-being, and persistence for Latinx college students and college…

Muslim women are portrayed with a dichotomous image: on one side, as the victims of the patriarchal Muslim men and, on the other, as the violent associates of the Muslim terrorist (Maruoka, 2008). The act of head covering, the most visible Muslim-identified marker, has thus assumed an outsized space in research of Muslim women. However, while…

This narrative inquiry study explored the stories of six self-identified Latinas or Hispanic women who work as educational developers in postsecondary institutions. The study sought to understand the simultaneity of multiple social identities as experienced by the participants. Simultaneity is defined as a dynamic framework from critical feminist…

This dissertation aims to illuminate and uncover the experiences of Black students' learning mathematics in rural Appalachia and specifically West Virginia. The focal theory for this study is Critical Race Theory (CRT) which centers the experience of Black students and their voices. The intersection of race, mathematics education, and the context…

The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the gender inequities of unpaid household and childcare labor, especially for Black and Latina mothers who are also breadwinners. Notwithstanding, higher educational attainment has been found to be an important predictor of earnings and reentry into the labor market although disparities of earnings for women of…

The long-standing problem of underrepresentation of ethnic minorities in leadership roles in higher education can have detrimental consequences, such as limiting minority voices, marginalizing minority contributions, and impeding success within academe. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore how indigenous Samoan…

In recent years, advancement has been documented in the literature about the educational attainment among Latinas. However, a review of the literature revealed limited research on the educational experiences of the Latina "madre." This phenomenological study contributes to the existing knowledge about the lived experiences of the Latina…

School lunch is a universal experience for students everywhere and yet remains largely understudied by educational researchers. This dissertation explores school lunch through the lens of adolescent identity theory, with the purpose of investigating the unarticulated and overlooked complexities inherent in the lunch block, from issues of the…