In Pursuit of Success: Latino Male College Students Exercising Academic Determination and Community Cultural Wealth

Abstract

Discourse about Latino male college students centers on their low enrollment, persistence, and graduation rates. Two asset-based theoretical frameworks were used to understand how 21 Latino males’ academic determination was nurtured and sustained by cultural wealth at selective institutions. Although most participants entered college with unclear educational goals, they aspired to become ideal college students who effectively balanced personal, academic, and social commitments. Most participants relied on peer networks instead of faculty and administrators to achieve their educational goals. Implications for research, policy, and practice focus on the role cultural wealth can play in Latino male college students’ academic determination.