Graduation Year
2026
Date of Submission
4-2026
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Chicanx/Latinx Studies
Reader 1
Professor Gilda L. Ochoa
Reader 2
Professor Martha Gonzalez
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2026 Arturo Caldera
Abstract
This research takes a deep dive into the factors shaping marginalized communities’ educational experiences, particularly for low-income Latino students from migrant backgrounds navigating public schooling spaces. Across sixteen qualitative interviews, participant narratives reveal how a systemic lack of resources at the institutional, interpersonal, and structural levels undermines the quality of support students receive and shapes their academic trajectories. Grounded in student-centered practices and informed by scholarship in multicultural education, Chicanx/Latinx studies, feminism, and psychology, this study contributes to ongoing efforts to move beyond deficit-based frameworks and instead recognize the cultural wealth, knowledge, and resilience students bring from their homes and communities. The research culminates in highlighting how educational institutions can improve the quality of learning in public high schools within working-class, Latino communities, and other marginalized communities more broadly.
Recommended Citation
Caldera, Arturo, "Family, Stability, Mentors & Money: Student Definitions of Success" (2026). CMC Senior Theses. 4238.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/4238
Included in
Chicana/o Studies Commons, Educational Administration and Supervision Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Ethnic Studies Commons, Higher Education Commons, Latina/o Studies Commons
