Latinx Community College Students and the (In)Opportunities Brought by COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

ABSTRACT The disruption to higher education institutions across the United States created by COVID-19 affected more than 20 million college students. States cancelled in-person classes and campus activities quickly shifted to remote and virtual learning. The pandemic, along with its economic impact, altered education for community college students, creating a traumatic event that exasperated mental health conditions. In addition, job loss increased food insecurities drastically during COVID-19 and students across the country turned to their colleges for wraparound services. In this proposal, the authors review the impact of COVID-19 on marginalized college students, specifically Latinx students in a South Texas college. The findings revealed that Latinx students navigated virtual learning differently and were impacted by their access to technology, as well as their access to mental health services and food pantries.