UTILIZING COMMUNITY CULTURAL WEALTH TO EXPLORE THE EXPERIENCES OF LATINA UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN COMPUTING

Abstract

A qualitative, phenomenological approach was used in this study to examine how undergraduate Latina students in computing leveraged community cultural wealth (CCW) to succeed in college. Preliminary findings suggest that students leveraged familial, navigational, and resistant capital to succeed in higher education computing spaces. Latina students derived valuable knowledge and skills from their families that they translated into their computing spaces, including content and industry knowledge, traits such as confidence and self-efficacy, and assistance with educational logistics. Students utilized family relationships, online academic resources, classroom peers, student organizations, and campus offices to navigate the challenges they encountered. Students also resisted marginalization in both internal (e.g., individual persistence) and external (e.g., speaking up against injustice) ways to benefit themselves and support future Latina students entering computing fields. Specifically, students leveraged their positions within identity-based student organizations and the larger computing field to mentor and serve as role models. This study suggests that scholars and practitioners might support Latina students by broadening their view of support networks, closing gaps in the computing curriculum, involving family, and acknowledging and removing burdens on minoritized students.