Latin@ advocacy in the hyphen: faculty identity and commitment in a Hispanic-serving institution

This study examines our experiences as female junior scholars with multicultural backgrounds teaching at the same Hispanic-serving institution. As education scholars with mixed-heritage families, we identify with the commitment to serving Latinos and the number of mixed-heritage people in the USA. The election of Barack Obama, whose racial background is both black and white, to the US presidency signifies the emergence of mixed-heritage people as a demographic presence in this country. Our research suggests that more understanding is needed about the experiences of mixed-heritage faculty in academia, as well as the ways in which faculty from any background may develop multiple affiliations with cultural communities and pursue professional agendas related to communities that they do not neatly fit into. Despite this variation in backgrounds and research agendas, we share our efforts in advancing Latin@ educational attainment.