Postsecondary pathways of Latinas/os: A review of student experiences in the community college

This paper examines previous literature to provide an overview of Latina/o students in higher education, with an emphasis on the community college and Latina/o student-athletes. While the majority of Latina/o students who pursue a public postsecondary education after high school begin in community college with aspirations to transfer, few transfer to four-year colleges. The paper discusses four key obstacles present in transfer pathways, which include part-time enrollment, financial challenges, academic preparation and invalidation, and a lack of access to transfer information. Recommendations include the need for more research that examines Latina/o experiences and the influence of college athletic programs and also the need for national community college athletic programs to collect and publish student-athlete data disaggregated by race, and postsecondary sector. Addressing the dearth in research and institutional data would support both researchers and educators to foster asset-based approaches that aim to increase the number of Latina/o student-athletes enrolling in and completing community college.